Women's Safety from Sexual Assault at Public Spaces in National Capital

REPORT RESEARCH STUDY ON

WOMEN’S SAFETY FROM SEXUAL ASSAULT AT PUBLIC SPACES IN

NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION

SUBMITTED TO Ministry of Women & Child Development Government of India

STUDY CONDUCTED BY INDIAN SOCIETY FOR INTEGRATED WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT (ISIWCD) W/O : C- 806, ICON, Sector CHI-3, Greater Noida – 201310 , G.B. Nagar. Mob.: 8860610314, Phone: 0120- 4210103 ,Email: [email protected] Regt. Office: Flat No. 174, Block 10, Janta Flats, DDA Ghazipur DF, Delhi - 110091

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This report is the outcome of efforts of many people. We extend our sincere appreciation to each one for providing strong and sincere support in order to accomplish the study. We thank the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, for entrusting us with the project and providing the financial support. We acknowledge the effort put in by Dr. Geeta Sinha, research expert, for guiding the research team in conceptualizing, designing, analyzing the data and preparing the report. The research team has made tremendous efforts in contacting a large number of respondents in urban and rural areas of NCR in course of field-investigation. It has been a commendable job done by the team of IT experts in coding the raw data, in data feeding and entry; as well as ultimate computer analysis of data so fed. It was a large sample from different districts in Delhi , Gurgoan and Noida, comprising various categories in terms of financial income and educational qualification Most importantly and finally, we would like to acknowledge the respondents of the survey from the urban and rural areas in the districts of NCR who, in spite of their work schedule and house hold obligations, cooperated in responding to our exhaustive questionnaire. They deserve thanks and mention because without them this study would not have been a reality. We are obliged to thank men and women, from all walks of life, who constituted our sample namely, the people from different sections of the community, women organizations, women commissions, local NGOs, who gave their whole-hearted cooperation that enabled us to complete this study. Special thanks are due to women friendly national and international organisation, women commissions, and various women NGOS at our sample areas for their cooperation in getting the relevant information and access to our respondents for this study. Special thanks are due to police stations, women commissions and various women NGO’s at our sample areas for their cooperation in getting the relevant information and access to our respondents for this study.

Dr. Chandramaulishwar Project Director & Trustee 28 February, 2017

PREFACE

Women safety is a very important aspect of any society. However, women safety is at risk due to increasing sexual harassment in public places in our society especially in Delhi NCR. Despite strict laws enacted more than three years ago after a girl was gang raped on a bus and later died of her injuries, street harassment is an enormous menace in NCR Delhi. Due to fear of social stigma and many other reasons, women accept, tolerate and keep quiet about such experiences. Street harassment continues to kill, torture, and harm – physically, psychologically, sexually and economically by denying women and girls’ equality, security, dignity, self-worth, and their right to enjoy fundamental freedoms. It has been found to occur in all socioeconomic and cultural population subgroups; a universal phenomena cutting across boundaries of religion, culture, class, education, income, ethnicity and age in all societies in the world.

Social safety for women plays a critical role in advancement of women and society. Very often, street harassment is seen as an expression of male interest and a form of flattering sexual attention for women; a somewhat vulgar but harmless romantic game, well within the range of normal, acceptable behaviour between men and women. Thus, it is important to recognize the existence of street sexual harassments as harmful and its causes in order to prevent it. The present research identifies causes and the remedies as well as their awareness about the measures/laws and schemes implemented by the government taken to eliminate them as perceived by the community. The findings will go a long way for improvement in women safety, encourage positive change, and support women in realizing their highest potential. Gains made by women are not gains made at the expense of men rather, they benefit families and society as a whole.

The findings highlight the fact that the Acts and the schemes still have a long way to go to be able to protect our women from sexual atrocities. The fact is that street violence is as much of a social problem as a legal one. The data shows that there is a need for the police as well as families to recognize street harassment as a health, legal, economic, educational and social issue, and a complete violation of human rights. This recognition will help the society to be sensitive to the issue and revamp their act to deal with the gaps which will be an important step towards the social transformation.

Dr. Geeta Sinha Research Expert 28 February, 2017

TABLE OF CONTENT

Executive Summary 04

Chapter 1 Introduction 21

Chapter 2 Defining research 43

Chapter 3 Methodology 45

Chapter 4 Results 51

Chapter 5 Discussion 74

Chapter 6 Conclusions 80

Chapter 7 Recommendations 81

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The National Capital Region is recognized as a very “unsafe” place for women as there has been a tremendous increase in cases of sexual atrocities (also called street harassment) in public places in recent years. “Street harassment” or “sexual harassment in society” ranges from sexual harassment to rape and even murder. It occurs in public places, e.g., in streets, public transport, taxi, public parks, in and around schools, within the campus of university, inside public sanitation facilities and worse, in the very own neighbourhood. Women of all ages, backgrounds and races experience sexual harassment and thus there is no ‘typical harassed’ woman. Sexual harassment negatively impacts everyone who is affected by the offensive conduct, whether they were the intended target or not. The study “Women’s Safety from Sexual Assault at Public Spaces in National Capital Region’ was designed to examine the above problem. The following objectives were tested:  To identify most rampant causes of sexual harassment perceived by women.  To determine the most important factors that enhances common women’s safety in public places.  To discern women’s responses in cases of violence against them.  To find feasibilities of women’s access to Police and other governing agencies.  To find the level of awareness regarding laws concerning rapes and its punishments among women and men.  To enlist gender sensitive activities in communities, particularly low income group persons, for improving gender sensitive relationship

METHODOLOGY

1. Tools of study Secondary documents, laws and policies were reviewed along with previous research and conclusions. Participatory Rural Appraisal tools (e.g. semi-structured interviews and focused group discussions) were used in the pilot study and based on that, structured Instrument (questionnaire) was developed to identify the issues and main attitudes behind the sample groups’ thinking. Questionnaire schedule was the main tool of data collection. Research study of “Women’s Safety from Sexual Assault at Public Spaces in National Capital Region’ interview schedule was prepared to address the research issues. After the first brainstorming session, the questions were generated and given to five people for comments. This way the questionnaire was modified and fine tuned four times. Discussion was also held with community people, gender experts and NGO workers before finalizing the questionnaire. Oriented towards the objectives of the study, it included questions about perceived causes and consequences, identity of offenders and ideas for preventing mechanisms from people and respondents point of view to tackle this phenomenon in public places and other relevant issues. The questions were on the following dimensions;

Appendix 1: Questionnaire-30 questions

Demographic information was taken in the questionnaire.-Question no’s 1 to 11. Each question covering one dimension had many sub-questions. The details are provided below: No. of sub questions

7. Action in case of sexual assault 04 8. Reasons for not reporting 07 9. Impact on women 05 10. Location of sexual harassment incidents 10 11. Activities for Community in area 07 12. Awareness about government schemes- 09 13. Awareness about the laws and acts 04 14. Reasons for high crime against women in NCR 15 15. Age of sex offenders 04 16. Perceived socio-economic status of sex offenders 03 17. Vulnerability of women for sexual assault 10 18. Response of women to sexual harassment 09 19. Factors to improve women safety 09

2. Selection of Sample and Districts Selection of research coverage area was in compliance with research objectives to understand the factors and possible remedies of sexual harassment against women and girls in public places.

Sample Design: The study used purposive sampling methods to collect information from selected respondents belonging to diverse categories spread across Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida.

Sample size and categories: Total sample size was 5221 with each respondent category sub divided into various categories with specific sample size allotted to each category. Details are as below.

Table-1 : Profile of Respondents

Respondents by Age Groups Sl. Respondents Categories of Respondents No. of Respondents Total Under 25 years 26-45 years 46-60 years Above 60 years No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % 1 Women Government job 29 12% 149 61% 56 23% 12 5% 246 100% Private job in organised sector 128 35% 225 61% 17 5% 0 0% 370 100% Private job in unorganised sector 90 24% 256 68% 28 7% 4 1% 378 100% Factory workers/Construction Workers 138 20% 487 72% 51 8% 4 1% 680 100%

Domestic helpers 35 12% 213 73% 40 14% 4 1% 292 100% Housewife 126 13% 693 72% 112 12% 35 4% 966 100%

Travellers/Tourists 56 31% 111 62% 12 7% 1 1% 180 100% College/School students 1057 96% 40 4% 2 0% 0 0% 1099 100% Unemployed 53 56% 35 37% 2 2% 4 4% 94 100% Sub Total 1712 40% 2209 51% 320 7% 64 1% 4305 100%

2 Men Government job 2 3% 38 50% 26 34% 10 13% 76 100% Private job in organised sector 15 19% 52 65% 7 9% 6 8% 80 100% Private job in unorganised sector 10 14% 46 66% 14 20% 0 0% 70 100% Factory workers/Construction Workers 25 17% 108 75% 11 8% 0% 144 100% 0 Domestic helpers 1 3% 35 88% 4 10% 0 0% 40 100% Housewife 0 0% 9 75% 2 17% 1 8% 12 100% Travellers/Tourists 14 26% 33 61% 6 11% 1 2% 54 100% College/School students 110 96% 4 4% 0 0% 0 0% 114 100% Unemployed 3 50% 3 50% 0 0% 0 0% 6 100% Sub Total 180 30% 328 55% 70 12% 18 3% 596 100% 3 Stakeholders Police, Bus staffs etc. 36 11% 210 66% 70 22% 4 1% 320 100% Overall Government job 31 10% 187 58% 82 25% 22 7% 322 100% Private job in organised sector 143 32% 277 62% 24 5% 6 1% 450 100% Private job in unorganised sector 100 22% 302 67% 42 9% 4 1% 448 100% Factory workers/Construction Workers 163 20% 595 72% 62 8% 4 0% 824 100%

Domestic helpers 36 11% 248 75% 44 13% 4 1% 332 100% Housewife 126 13% 702 72% 114 12% 36 4% 978 100% Travellers/Tourists 70 30% 144 62% 18 8% 2 1% 234 100% College/School students 1167 96% 44 4% 2 0% 0 0% 1213 100% Unemployed 56 56% 38 38% 2 2% 4 4% 100 100%

Stakeholders 36 11% 210 66% 70 22% 4 1% 320 100%

Total 1928 37% 2747 53% 460 9% 86 2% 5221 100%

The above mentioned respondents were divided into all districts of Delhi along with Gurgaon and Noida. Thus, questionnaires were filled by a total of 5221 respondents. As the media reports and pilot survey had revealed street violence to be positively related to lower socio-economic groups, the sample was mainly 8

lower socio-economic group in rural, semi-urban and even in urban areas and slum clusters.

3. Sample selection Identification of a correct and representative sample was carefully done as the issue of street violence is very sensitive and complex. The present team, with its previous experience in carrying out research on sensitive social issues, maintained care in locating the sample with the help of other research experts, research experts, police personnel, lawyers, actively working local NGOs, doctors, community and Angan Wadi centres and other women’s organizations.

Selection of Geographical Areas Before the commencement of Field Investigation, the Universe of the Study was meticulously decided. A list of harassment – prone areas from the Special unit for Women and Children, Nanakpura and Office of the Joint Commissioner of Police was obtained. Their crime map pertained to incidents of rape, molestation and eve teasing during 2015. The map showed only five districts which were more prone to women harassment. Two new districts were formed since after the award of the study. Thus out of existing 11 districts in Delhi, 50% of the respondents were selected from the harassment affected areas and another 50% were taken from the rest six districts. Two localities, necessarily slum and resettlement areas, from each district were selected to cover women of moderately weaker and lower economic status

Three sectors each from Gurgaon and Noida were selected on recommendation of local Mahila police and Angan Wadi workers. The areas covered are as below: 1. Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar District, UP) 2. Gurgaon, Haryana 3. Delhi:  North District  Central District  South District  New Delhi District  South West District  West District  North East District   East District

 North West District   South East District  Shahdara District In order to seek support from government agencies, if required, letters were posted to: 1. Principal secretary, Dept. of Women and Child Development, Govt. of UP, Lucknow, with a copy to the District Magistrate, GBNagar. 2. Principal secretary, Dept. of Women and Child Development, Govt. of Haryana, Chandigarh with a copy to the Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon. 3. The Secretary, dept. of Women and Child Development, Govt. of NCT of Delhi with copies to all 11 deputy Commissioners of respective districts.

4. Basis of Sample Selection Total population of Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida divided by the number of the respondents was used to determine the number of respondents from each area. Area Population Ratio Sample Size Delhi 11,034,555 88% 4573 Noida 637,300 5% 264 Gurgaon 876,969 7% 363 TOTAL 12, 548,824 100% 5200  Out of the above 4288 women belonging to different categories, 592 and 320 stake holders belonging to both genders have been covered.

QUALITATIVE METHODS Focus group discussions were held with people of the target areas. Respondents here included the residents, students, teachers, doctors, hospital people, authorities and other people from the community, (men and women). The points discussed were related to suggestions and recommendations about the implementation.

DATA COLLECTION Data collection was done as per the design of the study. Questionnaire schedule was applied on the above mentioned sample. The responses of the respondents were recorded on the different items of the schedule.

Demographic information on education, income etc. were also collected. The respondents were interviewed and the schedules filled by the investigators. Before selecting and approaching any particular community for the study in any district, one or two local persons having knowledge and the information of the nearby localities and communities were included in the team by the field workers. This enabled the research team to gain confidence of the target community. DATA ANALYSIS Data analyzing Method/ Coding Plan The responses of the participants were recorded on the different items of the schedule. Initially, a database was created for data recording and analysis. After data collection the coding plan was explained to the computer expert. Scores were assigned to the levels of responses and added up to generate a score on the various dimensions. Data were systematically coded and entered in computer Excel sheet and analyzed. Software of SPSS software was used for analyzing collected data to clearly determine and compare research findings. For analysis, mean and percent scores have been computed for each question for the whole group. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This section presents the data collected by quantitative methods as well as qualitative methods namely, focus group interviews of communities and interviews of functionaries.

QUANTITATIVE FINDINGS: Tables were generated for the dimensions tested in the questionnaire: First of all it was tested whether women feel safe in NCR and whether the community knows about it.

Perceived Feeling of safety while travelling in NCR (Ref. Table 12) While 82 % of women, 78 % of men and 83 % of stakeholders have said that women do not feel safe while travelling in NCR. So if we look at the total score we find that an overwhelming percentage of 81% of respondents have said that women feel unsafe while travelling in NCR, while 11% feel that women feel safe while travelling in NCR and 8% feel that they cannot comment on this matter.

Awareness about abuses women suffer from (Ref. Table 13) Table 13 shows whether respondents are aware that women and girl suffer from sexual abuse in public places. The total response shows that a very high level of awareness has been shown by the respondents that women using public space are suffering from sexual harassment. 87% of total sample agrees that girls suffer from verbal abuse, 88% believe that they suffer from physical abuse and 94% that they are being stared at. Similarly in terms of the three locations also, there does seem to be high awareness regarding existence of the three kinds of abuse. 85% respondents from Delhi, 98% from Gurgaon and 95% from Noida believe that they suffer from verbal abuse, 87% from Delhi, 91% from Gurgaon, 97% from Noida think that women in NCR suffer from physical abuse in public places and 94% of the respondents from Delhi, 97% from Gurgaon, 85% from Noida believe that women in NCR are being stared at. Similarly in Table 13 B and Table 13 C which looked at the responses in terms of education and income also reveal high agreement between the different groups on the three dimensions. Thus, there does not seem to be much difference between the responses of male and female as well as stakeholder, or the three locations or even in terms of income and education in terms of their awareness regarding existence of the three kinds of abuse

Identifying most rampant causes of sexual harassment perceived by women. Question no. 23 was designed to examine the perceived causes of sexual harassment of women in public places. Fifteen dimensions picked out from literature and newspapers/media reports which have been commonly perceived as the reasons behind the street sexual harassment of women, were used to solicit responses from the respondents. Table 23 and 23,A reveal the responses of women, men and stakeholders as well as of the respondents from three locations of Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida together and separately too. At least 47% of the respondents have seen each of the fifteen causes as instrumental in facilitating street sexual assault. Punishment not being severe has been seen to be highest ranked cause (86%) followed closely by availability of pornographic material on mobile (84%), easy access to face book and net (83%). Influence of media/TV/Cinema (81%), Prevailing lawlessness in the society (73%), Corruption in

law enforcing authorities, (69%), Culture of Late Night Parties (69%), Unsympathetic Police (68%), inadequate infrastructural facilities (65%), Lax and costly judicial system (65%), physical inability of women to defend themselves (63%),%. 55% of sample believes that Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders. Revealing Dresses of women by 50%, Free and informal behaviour of women by 49% and Sexual aggression in men by 47% of the sample to be the reason behind sexual harassment. Table 23 A shows the breakup of percentage of perception of respondents from three locations Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida for causes of sexual assault on women. Revealing Dresses of women has been seen as the reason for sexual assault by 53% of respondents from Delhi, 35% of the sample from Gurgaon and 37% from Noida perceive it as that. Free and informal behaviour of women has been seen as the reason by 49%, 30%, and 70% of the sample from the three locations respectively. Physical inability of women to defend themselves has been perceived as the factor behind sexual harassment from respondents from Delhi 61%, Gurgaon (71%), Noida (81%). Sexual aggression in men (49%, 53%, 19%) Prevailing lawlessness in the society (73%, 72%, 71%), inadequate infrastructural facilities (63%,62%,86%). Corruption in law enforcing authorities (66%75%, 96 %%), Unsympathetic Police (64%,78% 96%), Lax and costly judicial system (62%, 66%, 95%). Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders (56% 60% 34%) availability of pornographic material on mobile (83%, 83%, 97%), punishment not being severe (85%, 92%, 98%) Influence of media/TV/Cinema (82%, 70%, 85%) easy access to face book and net (84%, 76%, 86%). Culture of Late Night Parties (67%, 74%, 94%) are the other factors which have been tested. As we can see from the data, the personal factors of women, namely, Revealing Dresses of women and Free and informal behaviour of women have been perceived by 62% of men as leading to sexual harassment whereas 49% and 47% of women have perceived them as not as important as men. Physical inability of the women to defend themselves was perceived by 61% women and 72% of men to be a factor. A difference is visible in the perception of men and women here. This data is in line with the earlier research. Style of dress makes no difference to the level of harassment they experience has been reported in many cases (SAATHI 1994: 10). Some have tried to place the blame for unwanted attention and violence from men on women, who they assert invite this attention through a “provocative style of dressing, conversing and walking”, as highlighted by (Ghosh 1993: 114). Many 13

scholars feel that above arguments serves to shift the burden of blame away from the harasser to victim creating a culture of victim blaming. This results in continuation of the problem (Kearl, H. personal communication, August 01 2012 as well as also serve to reinforce the existing harmful cultural values and norms (Vijeyarasa, R. personal communication, August 20 2012). This is a widespread perception which, in some instances, has been shared by the police (Sherpa, M. personal communication, August 01 2012), who pinpoint the wearing of certain clothing as being responsible for the offence. While, it has been practically observed that although women wearing more revealing clothes are subject to greater levels of harassment, women wearing traditional clothing (kurtha salwar ) are also harassed (Action Aid 2011: 51). Table 23 also shows difference in the perception of men and women regarding the dimension of sexual aggression, an independently male factor. 35% of men and 50% women have perceived Sexual aggression in men as responsible for sexual harassment of women. Some of the factors are dealing with shortcoming in police and law and order systems. Five factors, namely, prevailing lawlessness in the society and Corruption in law enforcing authorities, Unsympathetic Police, Lax and costly judicial system, Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders have been also perceived highly as leading to sexual atrocities. However punishment not being severe has been seen as the most important causative factor. 98% of sample from Noida has perceived it to be very important. Other important factors relate to impact of media, like, Availability of pornographic material on mobile, Influence of media/TV/Cinema, easy access to face book and net. Culture of Late Night Parties has also been seen as very important as perceived by 94% Noida respondents. Inadequate infrastructural facilities has also been seen by 73% of total respondents as being a factor in rising street sexual harassment.

Determining the most important factors that enhance common women’s safety in public places. Question no 28 was designed to examine the perceived factors which can improve women safety and reduce incidences of sexual harassment of women in public places. Nine dimensions picked out from literature and newspapers/media reports which have been commonly perceived as the factors behind the street sexual

harassment of women, were used to solicit responses from the respondents. As we have seen in the Table 28 and 28 A, the tables have been prepared to reveal the responses of women, men and stakeholders as well as of the respondents from the three locations of Delhi Gurgaon and Noida together and separately too. Very strong responses (over 90%) came from the respondents towards all the factors which were tested in the questionnaire. The questions consisted of mainly three dimensions, a) one referred to infrastructural suggestions. Crowded buses/Stations should be under constant camera surveillance was the response of 96% of the total sample. Parks and public places should be well lit (93%) and well guarded (91%), frequently patrolled (90%) public toilet should be clean and guarded (90%) b) refers to law order and justice systems, namely, Legal punishments should be made harsher (94%), judicial disposals should be quicker (92%), Mahila police should get greater role in patrolling (91%), c) third dimension was about strengthening the women herself, namely women should be encouraged to carry pepper spray/ safety pins etc (94%) were the response of the total sample. Only 1% of the sample did not agree that crowded buses should have continuous camera surveillance and 2% said the women need not carry pepper spray etc. Moreover, there was not much difference in the responses of the three categories, men, women and stakeholders. All had similar views. Table 28,B & Table 28,C - These two tables also look at the same nine dimensions of perceived factors which can improve women safety and reduce incidences of sexual harassment of women in public places where the respondents have been categorised in terms of education Table 28B) and income (Table 28C). The income categories have been divided in terms of three categories. Below one lak income, between 1 to 2 laks of income and over 3 laks of income. The table reveals that the differences are minor among the various categories of respondents. All responses are above 87%. There is very high agreement among all categories of respondents on all the dimensions. These findings are also in line with earlier research findings. The earlier research has revealed that public transport is a spot where there is huge risk of sexual harassment. The infrastructure and law and order issues have also been recommended in earlier research. Some other related questions have been asked to respondents which throw light on the perceived reasons as well as remedies for sexual harassment. Two tables, 15

namely, Table 24 and Table 25 are related to identity of offenders in terms of the age group as well as socio economic class. 86% thought that offenders were from age group of 19-25. 78% of respondents thought that the offenders belonged to 25- 50 age range. 64% of respondents thought offenders were 18 years of age or even less. Only 20% perceived the perpetrators to be over fifty age group. Table 25 shows the perceived socio -economic background of the sex offenders. 72% of the respondents perceived them to be from lower socio economic background.67% and 64% of the respondents perceived the offenders to be from middle and higher socio economic strata of the society. Table 15 deals with the most frequent perceived timing for street assaults. An overwhelming 88% of total sample (88% women, 92%men, 88% stakeholders) has said that sexual assault on women can take place anytime. 41% (42% women, 36%men and 30% stakeholders) say that it takes place after dusk and 31% believe that sexual harassments take place (33%, 20%, and 18%) before dusk Table deals with the perceived places where maximum street harassment takes place. Table 20 shows the perceived locations of sexual harassment incidents. Out ten locations, bus stop has emerged as the most agreed upon location for sexual harassment incidents at 94% of total respondents choosing bus stop.. Closely followed by market places at 90%, public parks at (84%), Alcohol shops at 72%, railway station/metro station at 62%, taxi stands at 61%, deserted streets at 59%, cinema hall, construction sites at 44% each with Grameen sewa public transport at 42% of the sample as location for sexual harassments. Another question (Table 26) examines the most vulnerable categories of women who are susceptible to sexual assault. 89% of respondents perceived unprotected women as well as students to be most vulnerable for sexual assault. Closely following was the category of women working in night shift who were perceived by 87% of the sample to be vulnerable for attack. Working women category was perceived as susceptible to sexual harassment by 84% of the respondents. Alcohol Users were seen by 82% of the sample to be vulnerable for attack. The category of homeless women//girls living on streets who were perceived by 73% of the sample to be vulnerable for attack. Migrant Women not speaking local language were perceived at 68% of the total respondents to be susceptible for sexual assault. Domestic helps and Daily wage earners were perceived by 73% and 71% of the

sample to be vulnerable for attack respectively. Differently able were perceived by 57% of the sample to be vulnerable for attack.

Discerning women’s responses in cases of violence against them. This objective was addressed by using two questions: number 19 and question no 27. Table 19 reveals the responses to five questions which examine the impact of harassment on women. It deals with long term changes in the women’s self image/psychological or physical health showing the coping behaviour of sexually harassed women. It also shows the coping behaviour of sexually harassed women. The question has tested five options. 86% of the total sample have agreed that sexually harassed woman would become ‘Pathologically Afraid of men‘. That women become depressed after suffering sexual harassment was responded to by 78%.The third option being stigmatized was perceived by 75% of the sample to result from sexual harassment. Scornful and revengeful was perceived by 51% and becoming handicapped was perceived by 33% of the sample as consequences of sexual harassment by women. The literature survey has also supported this finding. The fear of sexual assault in public places as well as actual facing of it can result in long term damage to a woman’s psyche and can disturb her life as already discussed in detail in first chapter. The Table 27 reveals the responses to nine questions which examine the immediate response which women make to the situation of facing a sexual harassment incidence. Table 27, A shows high agreement on women’s response to sexual assault. Out of nine factors which have been tested among the respondents, on each factor the total agreement percentage is above 53%. By tolerating the humiliation was the response perceived to be the strategy to be use by 81%, 71 % and 84% of the respondents for Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida respectively. By avoiding reporting was the response of the respondents’ for 77%,( Delhi), (73%), Gurgaon and (82%) Noida respectively. By using self-defence techniques was the response of 63%, 61% and 49% of respondents from Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida respectively. We see a difference in the relation with neighbours between Noida and Gurgaon as only 37% from Gurgaon feel that women would take help from neighbourhood

whereas 70 % respondents from Noida and 53% from Delhi say women would seek help from neighbourhood. Similarly difference between Delhi (53%) Gurgaon (46%) and Noida (30%) are visible on the factor of ‘by taking help from law enforcing agencies’. Noidaits seem more comfortable with neighbours and Gurgaon residents with law enforcing agencies. 70% of the respondents said that women would respond in the case of sexual assault by involving family and friends with 71% from Delhi, 61% from Gurgaon and 75% from Noida. By stopping to move out alone was received by 57% of Delhiits , 66%, of Gurgaon residents, and 72% of Noida respondents. Table 16 shows response of the sample to the question regarding who helped women to lodge complaint. According to an overwhelming 92% (92% women, 93% men and 91% of stakeholder) women get help from family members in lodging complain, 72%(72% women,71% men 51% stakeholder)from Friend/colleague, 39%(38%, 47%, 38%) from public at spot. Helpline applications, NGO and Police were perceived to be helpful in lodging complain by 35 %( 34%42%31%), 39% (40% 32% 34%) (60%, 64%, 48%) of the respondents respectively. Finding feasibilities of women’s access to Police and other governing agencies. Table 17 reveals the answer of the respondents on the question of nature of action taken against the abuser in case of sexual assault. There were four options. The option of abuser taken into custody was perceived by 65% of the total sample, Strong warning to abuser was perceived by 63%, public deals with the abuser 23%, and no action was perceived by 40% total respondents to be the action taken against the abuser. What are the barriers to reporting- was the question answered by Table 18. It reveals the reasons for not reporting the sexual crimes as perceived by various categories of respondents. Table 17 and Table 18 show that there are many reasons for not reporting. Because the victims find that no action is taken against the offender (40% in our study Table 17.) Police cannot be trusted was the response of 63 %. 51 % and 50 % of the respondents agreed that ‘no one would believe them’ and ‘it would be wastage of time and money.’ (Table18). ‘It earns bad name in the society’ was perceived by 85% of the total respondents to be the reason for not reporting. ‘Offenders may take revenge’ was the second most popular response.70 % of the total respondents believed that the victims’ families should deal with the problem. 18

Some of the factors are dealing with shortcoming in police and law and order systems are also revealed in Table 23. Five factors, namely, prevailing lawlessness in the society and Corruption in law enforcing authorities, Unsympathetic Police, Lax and costly judicial system, Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders have been also perceived highly as leading to sexual atrocities. However punishment not being severe has been seen as the most important causative factor. 98% of sample from Noida has perceived it to be very important. All these figure show that women do not find it accessible to report to police or other governing agencies. Again this finding is supported by literature survey, newspaper TV reports. As data for this year shows that in Delhi, on average, six cases of sexual assault are reported everyday “Where rape is concerned the numbers cannot be an indicator of the prevalence of the crime since only a fraction of cases gets reported even in cities like Delhi. Though police have been sensitized, the level of consciousness has not changed much. There are still delays in disposing of cases due to a lack of sensitivity,” says women’s rights activist Kavita Krishnan. According to The times of India (March 30, 2015), 80 household in Delhi that experienced sexual harassment only 6 went to police and 74 remained unreported. Only one out of thirteen incidents of gender crimes reaches Police Station. In Delhi 1 in 11 cases of all criminal events involved sexual harassment. 94% of all sexual harassment incidents include staring or passing lewd comments. Incidents of touching or groping or being followed are not reported due to bureaucratic Police and lazy court system.

Finding the level of awareness regarding laws concerning rapes and its punishments among women and men. Table 22Aa shows the perception of the respondents about the level of awareness regarding laws concerning rapes and its punishments among women and men. A total of 57% were aware of laws against rape. 61% had heard about Punishment against rape out of which 60%were from Delhi, 49% were from Gurgaon and 87% from Noida. The provision of Death penalty for rape was known to 37%. 31% of the respondents also knew about Punishment awarding authorities against rape. It does seem that there is awareness about laws concerning rape and its punishment amongst the community. However, the crimes are on the rise. So the many reasons

which stop the victims to report also encourage the perpetrators to continue unabated. One logical explanation does seem the perception that punishments are not adequate. Literature is replete with data showing the cases not coming to a conclusion. The police are unable to perform well and similar host of reasons which facilitate as well as create barrier to bringing the culprits to book.

Enlisting gender sensitive activities in communities, particularly low income group persons, for improving gender sensitive relationship Table 21 shows the respondents’ awareness about Programmes Implemented by NGOs and Govt. agencies in their locality for women. 71% of the total respondents knew about Empowerment of Women programmes being held in the locality. Self - defence Training were known to 61% of respondents. Spreading awareness of laws was perceived by 47% of the respondents to be going on in their locality. Free Legal Help to Women was perceived by 34%of the sample. Creating forum for women’s grievances was known to 26% of the total sample. Popularising Gender Schemes by Police/Government was seen by30% of the sample as being done in their localities. Creating awareness of gender equality was also seen by 42% of the total sample to be going on in their areas. Table 22 shows the perception of the respondents about the awareness of the Government Schemes. A total of 97% respondents were aware of Emergency helpline No. 100. 89% had heard about women helpline 1091, 62% knew about women commission, laws against harassment/assault of women were known to 37%, and 30% of the respondents knew about punishment for different offenses, 25% were aware of Anti-stalking service for women, 38% were aware of Exclusive Help Desk for Women at Police Stations, Thana level Women Safety Committee was known to 35% of the sample and 50% of the total respondents knew of Self- defence Training Program for Women. It does seem that gender sensitive activities in communities, particularly low income group persons, for improving gender sensitive relationship are going on in many communities and moreover people are aware of them.

CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest an urgent need for immediate actions for the societies and government to curb harassment and violence against women in public spaces. 1. Awareness about the women’s low safety, sexual harassment as well as the laws, Acts is high among the community. However, the harassment is continuing. Findings have suggested that the system of reporting and punishments are not in place. 2. Trivialization of sexual harassment in public - space is high among the general community, victims, and even law enforcing machinery. 3. Impact of the laws in protecting women from street Violence is negligible. 4. Practice of street violence against women and girls is rampant in most of the NCR. 5. Street violence has negative consequences for the victim and her family. 6. Women themselves are not aware of laws and empowered to act. 7. Certain areas in NCR are very susceptible to sexual harassment at public places. 8. A large number of atrocities are committed from population in the rural areas of NCR, specially the youth who are old or original residents. Victims come from migrant communities in many areas. Perpetrators are men with individual temperament for sexual harassment in communities where the norms are tolerant, ambiguous, or even supportive of such behaviour. RECOMMENDATIONS  The action has to be multipronged. Firstly preventive measures have to be strong. Creating awareness in community about the role of bystander while witnessing women being sexually harassed in the public spaces, strengthening the women by improving their confidence level and self defence skills, well lit public spaces, well patrolled public transport, trained transport personnel, use of CCTV cameras, use of Mahila patrol will go a long way in preventing the incidences.  Sensitizing the police, using Mahila police, streamlining complaint mechanism, keeping the identity of complainant confidential, lodging complaint quickly and taking quick actions are needed.

STRATEGIES FOR DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE SOCIETY For Government/ public-awareness  Women’s safety needs must be acknowledged and identified as important objectives within the planning and management of public areas. This must involve the participation of women alongside other relevant stakeholders  Implementation of public-awareness efforts. This should include public- service messages and the display of “zero tolerance on sexual harassment” signs at highly visible areas such as bus stops, buses and roadsides.  Any problem with women’s safety in public spaces and women’s human rights should be immediately addressed.  State should have massive awareness campaigns to educate the masses about negative consequences of sexual harassment at public places.  Political and religious leaders should condemn any sexual violence against women.  Homeless women should be given priority for employment or education /training.  To make cities safe for women and girls, the government and NGOs need to work with local communities to understand and claim their rights to access and enjoy all that cities have to offer and to change their cities for the better.  Governments should fund essential public services (street lighting, safe public transportation and safe housing) to reduce violence against women  Governments should implement public policies on service provision and to ensure that all service providers receive the necessary training to prevent, identify and report harassment and violence against women  Government should support Public Spaces Mentoring Programs in communities. Any project idea to address gender-based street harassment in a community can be selected and provided in-depth mentoring for some time.  Men and boys must be part of the solution. Information should be made available regarding how boys /men can work and can volunteer. There should be tips and information for bystander.

 State supported shelter homes, Nari Niketans, remand houses, juvenile delinquent homes, and shelters for differently-abled children and orphans should have schedule of regular and transparent inspection by independent body.  Working women’s hostels for SC/ST/Minority/Differently-abled girls should be provided special protection.  Easy availability of Helpline and support system to be widely advertised on radio, TV and Newspapers

 The laws and punishments need to be popularized through media having national reach.  Multidimensional methods like Street plays, debates, lectures, discussions can be planned and funded by state government and executed in partnership with local panchayats/communities and NGOs.  The states must allocate a certain financial budget that may cover appropriate advertisement among urban and rural masses .

Rehabilitation and treatment of victims  Treatment and rehabilitation of victims and survivors of severely affected/rape incidences as well as counselling, mental health treatment should be available.

For Police  Victims fear to lodge complaints as/because if complaints are lodged the perpetrators’ friends start chasing and harassing. Even 1091 that register complaints make women frightened by saying that their identity shall be disclosed. Victims should be encouraged to complain and, as a matter of demonstration, special hearing for such cases be instituted and punishments be awarded forthwith.

 More and better law enforcement and security in public places, mahila police patrols and the installation of security cameras and PCRs exclusively operated by Mahila police should be introduced.  Special preventive measures should be taken in prone areas.  Police in each State should be made more sensitive to provide rescue to victims  Punishment should be made much more stringent. Legislation by the state should address all forms of violence against women and girls in public spaces  A proper complaint procedure within the justice system, accessible to the poorest and most excluded women should be developed  On-line complaints should be instantaneously responded to but the name of complainant should not be disclosed.

For Education system  Self- defence training should be made compulsory in schools/colleges syllabus.  Students should be made to learn about the principles of gender equality, legal rights of women, seriousness of sexual violence in public places and punishment on crimes against women in school/college.  Special training to school/college students on sexual harassments-how to save oneself as well as what to do as a bystander.

For Public transport system  There is a need for basic data and case study material on how women make use of the transport system, the differential impacts of transport on women, and what opportunities are denied to them when the system cannot meet their needs.  Recruiting more female bus conductors, drivers, and police should be done.  Strict implementation of women’s compartments in Metro/ Intercity trains and dedicated seats in all public transports to be made available by operating staff.  Special orientation programs for bus staff on their responsibility and duty towards women and girls as well as punishment in case of failing to do its rightful discharge ought to be imparted.

For Women themselves  The traditional approaches to women’s safety and their place within the societal hierarchy need to be changed. Thus a change in women’s’ self image to enable them to shift the blame away from themselves and onto those who commit crimes has to be inculcated.  They need to go beyond discriminatory values of playing a submissive and dependent role and have a positive self identity, be independent in their self concepts and psychological capacities.  Women should know the law too, specially their legal rights.  Women should organise and demand their rights on issues related to their safety and go above the traditional culture which trivializes and allows sexual harassment to continue and victims to be blamed.  For becoming stronger in terms of physical and learning self - defence techniques, self-defence training should regularly be given to girls so that to enhance their confidence and ability to protect themselves.

For Media  Print media should be socially responsible. The reporting of sexual crimes and episodes should be factual and not sensational.

 The film media should also be socially responsible and not sensationalize and should document illustrations of women’s experiences and the impacts upon their lives caused by sexual harassment.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY Indeed, any research has some limitations. Due to the sensitiveness of the issue of sexual atrocities; it is difficult to find person/persons to reveal information fearlessly on sexual harassment cases. It is not easy to find adequate information about cases of sexual harassment in public places as the societal mindset is still under domination of unfair traditional structures and conservative culture. Fear of social stigma causes the cases of sexual harassment to remain hidden.

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

In recent years women safety has been jeopardised in our society. A woman can’t take her safety for granted on the streets in our society. Emerging as one of the fastest developing countries in terms of infrastructure and economy, data show crime against women on the rise in India. A nation striving for women’s empowerment is also going higher on daily episodes of sexual violence against women’s freedom to move out of homes. The National Capital Region is, unfortunately, recognized as a very “unsafe” place for women as there has been an enormous increase in cases of sexual atrocities (also called street harassment) in public places. “Street harassment” or “sexual harassment in society” ranges from sexual harassment to rape and even murder. It occurs in public places, eg., in streets, public transport, taxi, public parks, in and around schools, within the campus of university, inside public sanitation facilities and worse, in the very own neighbourhood. Women of all ages, backgrounds and races experience sexual harassment and thus there is no typically harassed woman. Sexual harassment negatively affects everyone who is affected by the offensive conduct, whether they were the intended target or not.

Definition Problems which are identified and named adequately get addressed properly. As a type of VAW (violence against women), Sexual harassment of women existed long before the Industrial Revolution (Fitz). Sexual harassment in public space is noted in earlier literature, as Smith (2008) mentions Brook’s (1997) discussion of the early New York City subway in an 1871 illustration from Harpers ’ Illustrated Weekly of two women about to board a horse-drawn tram while several men leer at them from the

windows (Smith 2008: 119). The concept of sexual harassment at workplace, in its modern understanding, is a relatively new one, dating from the 1970s onwards; although other related concepts have existed prior to this in many cultures. International instruments define sexual harassment broadly as a form of violence against women and as discriminatory treatment, while national laws focus more closely on the illegal conduct.

All definitions of sexual harassment are in agreement that Sexual Harassment is conduct of a sexual nature that occurs because of the victim’s sex, is unwanted and causes harm to the victim. Conduct of a sexual nature includes very wide range of behaviours or actions, which are expressions of sexuality or have sexual connotations in our society. Therefore, relatively innocent behaviour (such as joking, innuendoes, flirting and asking someone on a date) to blatantly illegal behaviour (such as unwanted whistling, leering, sexist and persistent requests for someone’s name, number or destination after they’ve said no, sexual names, comments and demands, following, flashing, public masturbation, groping, forced fondling and attempted or actual rape and sexual assault) can all constitute conduct of a sexual nature.

Jessica Valenti, author of He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut…and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know (2008) and executive editor of Feministing.com comments “While I’ve heard the argument that street harassment is actually a compliment –, because we’re supposed to be flattered that strange men are screaming at us about our asses – it’s really a super-insidious form of sexism. Because not only do perfect strangers think that it’s appropriate to be sexual toward any woman they want, ... that you’re allowed to say anything to women that you want – anytime, anywhere.” Carol Brooks Gardner, author of Passing by: Gender and Public Harassment (1995) defines it as “Public harassment is that group of abuses, harrying, and annoyances characteristic of public places and uniquely facilitated by communication in public... Public harassment is on a continuum of possible events, beginning when customary civility among strangers is abrogated and ending with the transition to violent crime: assault, rape, or murder.” According to Hawley Fogg-Davis, author of “A Black Feminist Critique of Same-Race Street Harassment” (2005) “Sexual terrorism is an apt description of street harassment. As a young woman you know it will happen, but you never know for certain when or how it will happen. This makes 28

street harassment hard to define, and difficult to combat. Its insidiousness derives in large measure from its venue: the semi-private, semi-public everyday occurrence of walking, sitting, or standing along city streets, or other public spaces such as parks and shopping malls.” Cynthia Grant Bowman, author of “Street Harassment and the Informal Ghettoization of Women” (1993) notes “Street harassment occurs when one or more unfamiliar men accost one or more women in a public place, on one or more occasion, and intrude or attempt to intrude upon the woman’s attention in a manner that is unwelcome to the woman, with language or action that is explicitly or implicitly sexual. Such language includes, but is not limited to, references to male or female genitalia or to female body parts or to sexual activities, solicitation of sex, or reference by word or action to the target of the harassment as the object of sexual desire, or similar words that by their very utterance inflict injury or naturally tend to provoke violent resentment, even if the woman did not herself react with violence.” Gender- based street harassment is, thus, unwanted comments, gestures, and an action forced on a stranger in a public place without their consent and is directed at them because of their actual or perceived sex, gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation.

Sexual harassment has been categorized by different scholars. According to Gruber (1992: 452) sexual harassment falls into three distinct forms: remarks, requests, and nonverbal displays. Tiffanie Heben, author of “A Radical Reshaping of the Law: Interpreting and Remedying Street Harassment” (1994) further categorises three levels of street harassment: 1. Severe: a) sexually explicit reference to a woman’s body or to sexual activities, b) profanities directed at a woman because of her gender, c) any comment fitting into these categories combined with racial or ethnic slurs, d) any comment that fits any of these three categories combined with references to a woman’s possible homosexuality, e) physical acts such as following a woman, throwing things at her, or pinching or poking her. 2. Moderately severe: a) sexual innuendoes, b) references to a woman’s gender or body that are not sexually explicit. 3. Least severe: a) staring, b) whistling, c) all other comments men make to women that are unnecessary or are not political in nature.

Literature Review Studies on the sexual harassment of women in public places are fewer than studies on sexual harassment at workplace. This fact might be due to two factors. First, viewed as trivial or as flattery, sexual harassment is not illegal or even unacceptable unless public harassment rises to the level of violent assault. Second, as public places are viewed as incidental routes used by people on their way to someplace else, rules of conduct in streets and other public and semi-public places have not received the same attention as in private places like workplace..

Theory and Research One of the early sociologists to discuss the topic of sexual harassment in public places, Erving Goffman (1963; 1971) argued that anonymity between strangers in public places allows people to feel free and therefore permit breaches of social norms. Goffman thus views street remarks of a sexual nature as a way for men... to communicate regard for the attractiveness of a passing woman which she can ratify the comment with a smile or remark, or ignore it. According to him, the breach of etiquette is slight and not potentially problematic for women since the participants are engaged for only a short period of time (Goffman, 1963). However, Gardner (1989) criticised the approach for ignoring the gendered nature of public places and allowing the systematic ill treatment of women by men. Three arguments are used:

I. The social-structural argument considers sexual harassment as fallout of unequal power between men and women. Men, on average, have access to greater resources (physical, legal, political and economic) than women, placing women in a subordinate or dependent position. Gardner (1989; 1995) finds considerable support for this argument in field research that she conducted on public harassment in Santa Fe and Indianapolis. She rejects the notion that public harassment is about men's insecurity concerning their masculinity, and argues instead that it is about men's power over women. She notes that groups that are targets of discrimination are the most likely to be harassed, including women, members of racial minorities, and persons with disabilities. Moreover, while individual differences are somewhat muted in public places, appearances connoting high status produce less susceptibility to harassment (Gardner, 1995).

II. The socio-cultural argument focuses on the role played by norms and expectations related to gender in promoting male violence against women. Gender role prescriptions are not only different for men and women; they also define the "normal" heterosexual relationship as one between a superior male and an inferior female. Women are portrayed as sexual objects and male aggression is eroticized, perpetuating cultural myths that support violence against women (Kelly, 1988; Fitzgerald, 1993; Koss et al., 1994; Ussher, 1997). Gardner (1995) argues that the public order "recapitulates traditional presumptions about gender relations." Thus, public etiquette suggests that women should be absent from some public places, use companions, behave with decorum, and be unremarkable so as to avoid drawing attention to them. Men, in contrast, view public places as their home territory. Sexual harassment is a means by which they prove their masculinity to themselves and other men. Thus, men (and some women) excuse street remarks and other types of public harassment on the grounds that "men can't help themselves" or that they are just trying to show appreciation (Stanko, 1990; Gardner, 1995). Gardner (1980; 1989; 1995) maintains, however, that public harassment denigrates women and informs them that their very presence in public renders them "out of role" and therefore susceptible to comment.

Other research shows that women are more likely to define behaviour as harassment if they consider it part of a larger social problem (Stockdale et al., 1995; Gardner, 1995), espouse a feminist ideology (Brooks and Perot, 1991), or perceive that other cultural norms have been breached. Race, appearance, class, age and sexual orientation have all been found to influence the likelihood that women will define behaviour as harassment (Guiffre and Williams, 1994; Gardner, 199).

III. The social control argument sees sexual harassment as a means of social control serving to reproduce and maintain the status quo of male dominance (Fitzgerald, 1993; Koss et al., 1994). Pryor, Giedd and Williams (1995) find that men who link sexuality with social dominance are more likely than other men to score high on the Likelihood to Sexually Harass scale.

More indirect evidence for the social control argument lies in how women modify their own behaviour in public places in order to minimize the risk of sexual assault. Women avoid going out alone at night, rely on companions, walk only in certain areas, and have even turned down jobs (Deegan, 1987; Stanko, 1990; Gardner, 1989; 1995). Deegan (1987) adds that women present themselves as "good women" to ensure their claims are accepted. The good girl/bad girl dichotomy restricts women's movements and reinforces patriarchal domination of the street. Women who retaliate in response to men's remarks often find that men escalate the exchange in order to maintain control (Gardner, 1980).

International Scenario While street harassment is an under-researched topic (though that is changing), but each existing study shows that street harassment in public is a significant and prevalent problem in all societies especially for women and girls. In a global survey by in 2016 by ActionAid on harassment in a number of countries, it was found that 79% of women living in cities in India, 86% in Thailand, and 89% in Brazil have been subjected to harassment or violence in public, as had 75% of women in London, UK. Gallup data from surveys in 143 countries in 2011 show that in those countries, including Italy, France, Australia, and the U.S., men are considerably more likely than women to say they feel safe walking alone at night in their communities. The results of the Gallup’s annual Crime Survey, conducted in 2014, found that 37%, of U.S. adults say they would not feel safe walking alone near their home at night. By gender, 45%, of women said they do not feel safe walking alone at night, compared with 27% of men. YouGov survey in UK ( Fawcett Devon and Plymouth for End Violence Against Women Coalition, May 2012) found 85% of women aged 18 to 24 have experienced unwanted sexual attention, with 45% experiencing unwanted sexual touching in public. Nearly two thirds of women of all ages across the UK have experienced sexual harassment in public places, making it the most common form of abuse, with 81% saying they would have liked someone to intervene. Of the victims, more than a quarter were aged less than 16 when it happened for the first time, and more than three quarters were under 21 when it first happened. The survey also found that significantly more women than men feel unsafe in public places - 63% compared to 45% - and almost half are doing conscious “safety planning” if they go out in the

evenings, such as avoiding public transport and paying for taxis, leaving early and taking a different route. In the survey, which questioned 1,650 women, females were asked what they thought should be done about sexual harassment in public places. More than half said they supported more police, 38% said better street lighting or more transport staff and 35% wanted public awareness campaigns encouraging others to intervene. No respondent thought that the problem should be ignored. In the survey, examples of sexual harassment included sexual comments, exposure, staring and wolf-whistling. Study also revealed that one in three girls in UK schools (as young as 12) had experienced unwanted sexual contact. Activists claimed that it was rare to meet a woman who had not suffered street harassment. Speed is a man’s priority when it comes to public transport whereas for a woman it is ‘safety’ "Women manage this harassment every day, in their routines and daily decisions – but it has an impact on their self-esteem and body image. In Canada too, being subjected to sexually harassing behaviours is a particularly common experience for women (Pina & Gannon, 2012). Tuerkheimer (1997) went as far as to say that for many women "street harassment seems an inevitable part of our existence" ( Laniya, 2005). For example, in Macmillan and colleagues' (2000) study "more than 80 per cent [of participants] experienced some form of stranger harassment, and almost 30 per cent experienced explicitly confrontational forms of harassment" (p. 319). This study drew on data from the Canadian-based 1993 Violence Against Women Survey, and used a representative sample of 12,300 women aged 18 years or older. Similarly, Lenton et al.'s (1999) study of 1,990 Canadian women found that nine in ten women have experienced at least one incident of public harassment, and three in ten have been involved in the most severe type of harassment, where the perpetrator touched or tried to touch the victim in a sexual way. Lenton et al. (1999) also highlighted that younger women and single women are more likely to be impacted by sexual harassment in the street stating that "younger women report much more harassment than older women, and … single women are more likely to report harassment than married, cohabiting or widow regardless of the measure used" (p. 530). In an Australian study, LaMontagne, Smith, Quinlan, Shoveller, and Ostry (2009) also found that younger women in Australia are disproportionately affected by unwanted sexual advances in the workplace (p. 177). Likewise, the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) (2012) also identified young adults (including both women and men) aged 18-24 as the age group most likely to experience sexual harassment. In Ho, Dinh, Bellefontaine, 33

and Irving's (2012) study of 248 Asian and White female college students in the USA, 96% of participants reported experiencing at least one unwanted sexual advance, while 35% experienced at least one incident of sexual coercion. Around 41% of the 228 female college students in Fairchild and Rudman's (2008) study indicated that they experienced "unwanted sexual attention from strangers at least once a month. In addition, approximately one-third of these participants reported experiencing harassment such as "catcalls, whistles, and stares every few days or more" (p. 353). Finally, one-quarter of Fairchild and Rudman's sample encountered experiences "akin to sexual coercion or assault at least once a month" (p. 353). Based on these data, the authors argued that sexual harassment by strangers functions as "a significant form of humiliation and indignity that targets women and is likely to undermine the quality of their lives" (p. 353). According to the AHRC national sexual harassment survey, one- third of women surveyed have experienced sexual harassment since the age of 15. Further, one-quarter of women had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace in the past 5 years (AHRC, 2012).

Studies in India and South Asia A survey by an international charity organisation Action Aid released in Nov2016 has revealed shocking details on the extent of harassment women face in public places in India. As per a report in the Hindustan Times, the survey found that nearly four out of five women in India have faced harassment in public places. The survey took into account responses from more than 500 women in cities across the country. According to the survey, 84 percent of the women who faced harassment were in the age group of 25 to 35 years. And most of them were working women and students. “For us in India the findings are not big news, what is noteworthy of the 500 women interviewed in India, is the extent to which women have responded and reported boldly about facing harassment and violence,” claims Sandeep Chachra, ActionAid India’s Executive Director, “It is as if society is telling women that public spaces are not for them, and what is more interesting is that women are asserting their claim of these spaces,” ActionAid’s four-nation survey revealed that women around the world experience harassment for the first time at a shockingly young age with 6% experiencing harassment before the age of 10 in India. More than four in 10 women (41%) in India experience harassment or violence before the age of 19. The figure for

Brazil is 16% while it is 12% in Britain and 8% in Thailand. The research also found that around three fourth (73%) of women in India have experienced some form of violence or harassment in the past month. The figure is even higher in other countries and highlighted an increased risk of women with 67% of women polled in Thailand and 87% in Brazil having been subjected to harassment or violence in the past month. According to the ActionAid’s report, more than one in four (26%) women in India said they have been groped in the past month. This compared with one in five women in Brazil (20%), one in four women in Thailand (26%) and one in six in Britain (16%). In another study, YouGov UK market research firm poll of 2,200 women aged 18 and over in their online survey(2016) found women across India, in cities of New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata, were harassed in places like: on the street, in parks, at community events, on college campuses and while travelling on public transport. More than 75 percent of the respondents had been groped in public while over 50 percent of them had been followed at some point of time. Nearly nine percent of them said they had been raped. The finding by the NGO also shows that it is now common for women to take steps in their everyday lives to guard against the threat of harassment and violence. More than 8 in 10 women (82%) in India said they have taken steps to protect themselves against harassment. This figure rises to 91% for women in the age group 25 to 34. Steps range from avoiding parks and poorly lit areas (35%) and changing a travel route (36%) to using an everyday object like keys as a weapon (23%) or carrying a protective device such as a rape alarm or pepper spray (18%). Similar findings have been reported by Mahesh Nalla, Andy Henion, 2016 where about 40% percent of women surveyed in Delhi said they have been sexually harassed in a public place such as a bus or park in the past year, with most of the crimes occurring in the daytime and 58 percent were sexually harassed at least once during their lifetime. Further, 33 percent of women have stopped going out in public and 17 percent have quit their jobs rather than face harassment, or worse, in public places. Nalla and co-investigator Manish Madan, assistant professor of Criminology at Stockton University, surveyed some 1,400 men and women in the capital city of New Delhi on a host of issues including perceptions and history of sexual harassment, use of public transportation, safety in public spaces and police effectiveness in dealing with these concerns. Respondents were asked to gauge the seriousness of sexual incidents ranging from whistling to asking a woman for sexual favours’ to patting her buttocks or squeezing her breasts. While both men and women generally considered 35

all incidents serious, men considered them considerably less serious, illustrating “a disjunction between how males and females think,” Nalla said (published online in the International Criminal Justice Review 2016). Another study by Dhillon and Bakaya (2014) attempted to understand street harassment as experienced by young women in Delhi. Interviews were conducted on 20 women between the ages of 18 and 30 years to understand the nature of harassment they faced, its perceived consequences, their ways of coping with it, and the changes they felt were needed for them to feel safer. Findings revealed that harassment occurred most often in crowded spots and in broad daylight. High levels of harassment were attributed to factors like prevalent attitudes toward women and weak implementation of laws. Participants saw their lives as being restricted in several ways by the harassment. The police was seen as apathetic, and women took on themselves the responsibility for staying safe. Sometimes, women chose to defend themselves by moving away from harassers rather than confronting them due to fear of escalation. However, several participants felt that staying quiet allowed the perpetuation of harassment. The major change that women sought was more effective police functioning. In an earlier study, results of similar nature were found. 1995-96, a group of students and teachers in Delhi University conducted a research by way of survey and questionnaires to demonstrate the prevalence, nature and extent of sexual harassment in the university. The hope was that it would help convince the university administration to streamline the institutional mechanisms of redressal and complaint resolution. The survey conducted by the Gender Study Group among students in the university found that most women respondents felt that eve teasing constituted male behaviour that could be overlooked and ignored; it amounted to sexual harassment only when it crossed the threshold of their tolerance. Verbal harassment tended to be classified as eve teasing and physical harassment or sexually explicit behaviour as sexual harassment. They distinguished the two by the harm caused to them by each – eve teasing as largely harmless and sexual harassment as harmful. And used indifference or tolerance as learnt behaviour towards harassment, and deploying silence or ignoring the harassers as a strategy to deal with the harassment – since they felt that no one would either take them seriously or come to assist them. In a recent survey by a group of students of National Law Institute University (NLIU) for Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission (MPHRC), Bhopal; around 80 girl students of prestigious government educational institutes of the city, including Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT), Gandhi 36

Medical College (GMC), Institute for Excellence in Higher Education (IEHE) and Nutan girls PG College were asked to fill up a questionnaire for the purpose. Findings reveal that girls suffer sexual harassment at almost all public places in the city and no one comes forward to help, not even other girls. A majority of men, irrespective of their age do it for fun. Singing a song while looking at them, making vulgar gestures like making kissing sound and staring are some of the most common forms of harassments in the city, said those surveyed. Victims also said that instead of parents they prefer to inform their friends after an incident. Based on the same, it was revealed that 50% girls suffered sexual harassment at least once in every ten visits to their school or college. Girls said they feel insecure irrespective of clothes they wear or the time they move out. At the time of registering a complaint, the victim faces awkward questions from the police, i.e., what were you doing there at that particular time. As for action taken by police on a complaint, a number of them viewed that police never looked, inquired into the incident nor did they inform the victim about the outcome of the investigation. Insensitive policing and no strong punishment against those involved emerge as one of the reasons why incidents of sexual harassment continue. All India Women’s Conference (a leading women NGO in India), working for women welfare and their development since more than eighty years, have taken out a document ‘Violence against women-whose concern?’(2013). Eight workshop on the theme in different states of India were organized between August and September 2012. The goal of the series of the workshop was to study the problem in a holistic manner from the perspective of the states. The causes are likely to differ from state to state and effort was made to identify the good practises in various states that have proved effective in prevention of the problem. The workshops in the series were held In Delhi (for Delhi, Haryana and Punjab) followed by seminars in Agartala (for West Bengal, Tripura and Manipur), Allahabad (for UP and Uttarakhand), Gandhinagar (Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa), Jammu (JK, Punjab and HP), Trivandrum (Kerala, Chennai and Karnataka), Jabalpur(Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar, Mp and Rajasthan and Hyderabad (for Andhra Pradesh). The findings were used in prevention as well as making the existing programmes more effective by incorporating the best practises.

Sexual Harassment about Sex or Power? According to a 1992 study conducted by the International Labor Organization (ILO), sexual harassment is linked with power and takes place in societies which often treat women as sex objects and second-class citizens. The UN Declaration on Elimination of Violence against Women States, “Violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relation between men and women”. Catharine MacKinnon, one of the foremost writers on the topic, describes sexual harassment as an explosive combining of unacceptable sexual behaviour and the abuse of power. A particular incident of harassment may or may not include any explicitly sexual behaviour, but it always involves some form of abuse of power. For example, when a harasser sabotages a woman’s work, he is engaging in aggression, not in any kind of romantic sexual action. This situation is similar to that of the street harasser who comments on a woman’s body as she walks by, the co-worker who won’t stop touching her or the landlord who won’t repair the sink because she hasn’t been nice enough to him. All are forms of sexual harassment. Confusion about the difference between sexual invitation and sexual harassment is common. Many men and women around the world believe that sexual harassment is a practice based on simple sexual attraction. Martha Langelan analyzes how the confusion about the dynamics of sexuality and power in sexual harassment prevents women from reacting to harassers with strong, effective countermeasures in “Back Off! How to Confront and Stop Sexual Harassment and Harassers”. She argues that the difference between invitation and harassment is the use of power. Harassment is not a form of courtship and it is not meant to appeal or attract women rather is to coerce them. When the recipient of sexual harassment has no choice in the encounter, or has reason to fear the repercussions if she declines, the interaction has moved out of the realm of invitation and courtship into the area of intimidation and aggression. American writer and activist Kearl(2010) defines in the book’ Stop Street Harassment: Making Public Places Safe and Welcoming for Women’ as "unwanted attention" in public places, includes not only "physically harmless leers, whistles, honks, kissing noises, and sexually explicit evaluative comments," but also extends to "more insulting and threatening behaviour like vulgar gestures, sexually charged comments, flashing, and stalking, to illegal actions like public masturbation, sexual touching, assault, and rape." Kearl claims, that street harassment is a power dynamic that shows which gender

wields more power and control in a given society. She argues that a young girl is likely to be blamed if she walks alone on a street at night and is sexually assaulted but wearing conservative clothes in the light of the day does not stop men from sexually harassing her. Thus, the street (public space) harassment is not due to the woman’s fault and it has nothing to do with the time or dress. It has also been noted that harassment of women in public places bears some similarities with harassment of women in the workplace, in terms of the coping mechanisms developed by men to deal with the threat of women’s increased presence within both spaces. It is suggested that this increased presence has resulted in the policing of the behaviour of women who appear visibly independent and perhaps more successful than their male counterparts, who have traditionally occupied that space (Hale 1989: 375; Gangoli 2007: 63 and Valentine, 1993; Namaste, 1996; Pain 2000: 375 and Atray 1988: 36). These authors assert that sexual harassment is a form of VAW (Violence Against Women), used by men in order to maintain the gender hierarchy of society by exposing women to risk when they venture into public space, which men perceive as being their domain only. Some have tried to place the blame for unwanted attention and violence from men on women, who they assert invite this attention through a “provocative style of dressing, conversing and walking”, as highlighted by (Ghosh 1993: 114). Many scholars feel that above arguments serves to shift the burden of blame away from the harasser to victim creating a culture of victim blaming. This results in continuation of the problem (Kearl, H. personal communication, August 01 2012) as well as also serves to reinforce the existing harmful cultural values and norms (Vijeyarasa, R. personal communication, August 20 2012). This is a widespread perception which, in some instances, has been shared by the police (Sherpa, M. personal communication, August 01 2012), who pinpoint the wearing of certain clothing as being responsible for the offence. While, it has been practically observed that although women wearing more revealing clothes are subject to greater levels of harassment, women wearing traditional clothing (kurtha sarwal ) are also harassed (Action Aid 2011: 51). Style of dress makes no difference to the level of harassment they experience, has been found in many cases (SAATHI 1994: 10) as already discussed. Another reason cited for the perpetuation of sexual harassment of women in public space within South Asia is increasing urbanisation. Ghosh suggests that it also reflects modernisation within Indian society. Devi (1998) talks of Delhi where due to enormous heterogeneous population, there is little sense of 39

shared cultural and social values and low fear of recognition and identification, people do not conform to previously acceptable behavioural norms (Devi 1998: 51). In addition a range of other reasons are cited as possible explanations for why men choose to harass. In a 2009 survey of 274 women in Chennai (Mitra-Sarkar and Partheeban 2009), a comparison of responses to the survey question “Why Do Men Harass?”, revealed that 69.7 per cent of respondents agreed men were “influenced by movies”, 64.5 per cent of respondents agreed men were “influenced by their friends” and 62.7 per cent of respondents agreed men found it to be a “form of enjoyment”. There were also a high percentage of respondents who said that some of the blame lay with women who were “afraid to speak out” (58.3 per cent) and “did not report crime” (49 per cent). A significant proportion of respondents also believed that, in addition to not reacting at the time, women were also responsible for inviting repeated offences against them by “encouraging by dressing provocatively” (31 per cent) and enjoying being “the centre of attention” (27.9 per cent). Furthermore, 42 per cent of respondents also agreed with the statement that men harass because “they are superior”. The perceptions of these women mirror the belief of some men that it is “their birth right” to harass women (SAATHI 1994: 9), which should not be subject to protest and interrogation. This belief also represents internalisation by women of the idea that harassment in public space is often deserved (Baxi 2001; Mitra-Sarkar and Partheeban 2009: 82). It is clear that sexual harassment is perceived and interpreted by both sexes differently.

Sexual Harassment Taking Place on Public Transport High levels of sexual harassment have been reported in public transport (Jagori and UN Women 2011); many times sexual harassment is perceived by women as highest risk to their safety in public space. In a global study, YouGov conducted a large study about harassment on public transportation in 2014. They polled people in 16 major cities worldwide and then ranked the transit systems from safest (New York City) to least safe (Bogota). As far as experiences of verbal harassment go, the top five worst cities were Mexico City, Delhi, Bogota, Lima, and Jakarta, while the top five worst cities for physical harassment were Mexico City, Bogota, Lima, Tokyo, and Delhi. Practically, these problems pose serious issues for women who need to access public space to maintain their livelihoods and provide for themselves and their families.

Increasing number of women going out to work on the one hand signifies economic and personal opportunities but on the other also means more vulnerability and risk for them ( Suseela 2008). “Women have adjusted to the demands of working in male spaces; the reverse adjustment has not been as smooth. Women may have changed the way they see themselves but men, it is clear, have not” (Suseela 2008: 263-264). Public transport can be an important enabler in accessing the public sphere, with a denial of access impacting women throughout their lives. In highlighting the inadequacy of the Delhi transportation system in meeting the needs of women who travel alone, Anand and Tiwari (2006) assert that women’s lack of mobility is linked to their poverty by affecting their access to livelihood opportunities. They highlight that practically every woman interviewed during household surveys within the slum cluster of Sanjay Camp, Delhi, were targets of sexual harassment while travelling to work, either walking down the street or travelling on the bus. It is asserted that gender violence, through its effects on a woman’s ability to act, can serve as a brake on socio- economic development (Mathur 2004: 34) and limit women’s productivity, the gains of which (an increased share of family income allocated to food and health care for children, higher household incomes and improved child survival) are lost (Subramani 2005: 185). In India, where 5.5 million women enter the workforce each year, more than 50% express high concerns about the safety of their commute. The problem is intensified by the existence of a cramped, inadequate public transportation system, massive youth migration to urban areas and the fact that India is a traditional patriarchal society where many still believe a woman’s place is in the home. Aladuwaka and Oberhauser (2011) note in their study of microcredit activities of women in the Kandy district of Sri Lanka, that the increased mobility of women borrowers who travel to other areas to sell their products has led to greater independence from their husbands and a higher level of visibility within their community, which has increased their confidence and self-esteem (Aladuwaka and Oberhauser 2011: 259). In this case, women’s access to the public sphere has led to gains not just in terms of income, but in how they perceive themselves and are perceived by others. Recent surveys in Chennai and Delhi highlight that only a small percentage of female respondents who have experienced sexual harassment lodged a complaint with the police, with the vast minority of these labelling the police as unsympathetic and unresponsive when they sought assistance (Chockalingam and Vijaya 2008; Mitra-Sarkar and Partheeban 2009: Jagori and UN Women 2011: 11). 41

The 2006 Delhi Human Development report notes that macho behaviour from police, bus drivers and bus conductors, among others, has created a feeling of vulnerability in women (Government of NCT of Delhi 2006: 120). However, in a survey of women in Chennai , where only 8 per cent of women experiencing sexual harassment asked a ticket checker or conductor on the bus to intervene on their behalf, 44 per cent of those women found these individuals to be helpful when they sought assistance (Mitra-Sarkar and Partheeban 2009: 78), suggesting that authorities at the public transport level may have the potential to be more accommodating and obliging than the police. It is asserted that justice is not just about obtaining legal recourse at a high level, which requires great emotional and financial expenditure, but also community figures (including bus drivers and conductors) supporting victims of harassment (Abraham, C. personal communication, August 08 2012). This is also particularly relevant in contexts where substantial investment of valuable time and resources is required by women who report crime to police, which could instead be spent looking after their children or running their businesses (Vijeyarasa, R. personal communication, August 20 2012). In contexts where there is a lack of provision at the level of the police and judiciary, and where the perpetrator is likely to flee the scene before the authorities can be alerted, the involvement of transport workers who are already present within the vicinity seems particularly pertinent. In addition to perceived lack of interest by police, women also often choose not to lodge a complaint due to the negative effect that police intervention can have on their lives, bringing shame and upset on in-laws (Hazarika 1995: 27). It is estimated that 90 per cent of sexual harassment cases in India go unreported because victims and their parents and guardians do not want to put the family to shame through involvement in police investigations and court proceedings (Ghosh 1993: 113). Sexual harassment on public transport is not only an experience in India or South East Asia but an everyday occurrence for millions of girls and women living in some of the world’s biggest capitals. A poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation in partnership with YouGov reveals that 32% of women in London say they have been verbally harassed on public transport; 19% were victims of direct physical abuse. The global ranking puts the safety of London’s transport system behind that of New York, Beijing and Tokyo, but ahead of Paris, where 85% of the women polled expressed little confidence in receiving help by a member of the public if they were in trouble.

The worst capitals are those in Latin America, where six in every 10 women reported being physically assaulted on buses and trains. A study from Afghanistan “sexual harassment of women in public places, workplaces and educational institutions of Afghanistan” to identify the causes, consequences and ways to combat sexual harassment in Kabul, Kapisa, Balkh, Nangarhar, Kandahar, Herat and Badakhshan also showed that sexual violence is a widespread phenomenon in homes, schools, places of work and on the street and no place is safe for women. The population of this research is 364 people, including 35 victims of sexual harassment and 14 cases of sexual harassment including case studies. The questionnaire respondents said: 90% in public places, 91% in educational institutions, 87% in workplace have been harassed sexually. Also 90% in public places, 71% in workplaces and 79 % in educational institutions said that they have seen other women and girls being harassed. In public places physical harassment occurs more than other types. Verbal harassment occurs, 43% in public places and 38% in each of the workplace and educational institutions. Non-verbal harassment is seen 31% in public places, 25% at workplaces and 10% in educational institutions. The consequences of sexual harassment in the family and society include increase in forced marriages, family conflicts, life with fear and anxiety, reduced security, reduced socio-political, cultural and economic contributions of women. Also sexual harassment leads to isolation, distrust, hatred of self and others, feelings of shame, guilty and depression, the victims feel their Life is full of horror and disgrace. Another study, a survey in Bangladesh , conducted by NGO Action Aid in seven cities for two months, has found that women get sexually harassed more in public places than any other areas and that the prevalence of sexual harassment is more in cities than in rural areas. The survey was conducted on 1200 people -- 800 women and 400 men -- in Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Narayanganj. The report said: “Women are sexually harassed more in public places including public transports. Eighty-four percent women interviewed faced unexpected comments and indecent behaviours. Fifty percent women were given indecent proposals and 57 percent were subjected to unexpected touches.” The Action Aid citing the finds said 76 percent of under-20 women and 44 percent of above-30 females faced sexual harassment. The victims usually did not disclose sexual harassment incidents unless that was severe and 50 percent did not protest the harassment, according to the study. However, 54 percent victims informed their 43

families of the harassment and 41 percent protested instantly. It said most of the victims did not move the authorities in fear of social stigma and further harassment. Eighty-four women respondents said they did not inform police or any other law- enforcing agency of the harassment they underwent. Sixty-five percent said police usually blamed the victims for the harassment and 57 percent said the law enforcers procrastinated in recording cases. Fifty-three percent said they did not get any remedy after lodging complaint with police. In a nutshell, sexual harassment may happen everywhere but its form and intensity varies in different societies and several variants including cultural, traditional issues, level of awareness, time and place of occurrence and social solidarity, affect this problem. Sexual harassment’s circle begins form verbal harassment (the simplest one) to sexual assault (the harshest form); making sexual assault very different from sexual harassment. People are also harassed because of factors like their race, nationality, religion, disability, or class thus, it is multi-layered with race, socioeconomic status, gender expression, and disability. Harassment is about power and control and it is often a manifestation of societal discrimination like sexism, classism and racism. Some people are harassed for multiple reasons within a single harassment incident. No form of harassment is ever okay; everyone should be treated with respect, dignity, and empathy. While sexual harassment is a problem experienced by women worldwide, it may be more prevalent in emerging democracies such as India and other countries in South Asia where societies are, witnessing a shift from male domination to being gender equal and women are becoming more involved in the workforce. It is thus possible that the recent increase in cases of assault is a result of the male backlash for the growing gender equality. Despite efforts from Government, Ngos, other organisations, sexual harassment continues on a broad scale, in India. While violence against women and girl exists in every country, cutting across culture, caste, ethnicity education, income and age, the worst manifestations are in South Asia which is known as the most gender insensitive region in the world having the highest number of violence against women cases. A global poll conducted by Thomson REUTERS Foundation among the powerful G-20 countries, India was ranked 19th and was rated the worst place for women (even Saudi Arabia was ranked higher) on the basis of parameters such as infanticide, child marriage and slavery (Deccan herald, 7th Feb 2013).

Perpetrators Overwhelmingly male, relatively little is known about the perpetrators of street harassment. For example, 90% of the women who experienced sexual harassment in the 2012 AHRC study said the perpetrator was male. Gender inequality means that the power dynamics at play. While women can and do perpetrate sexual harassment (men can also be the victims of sexual harassment), and frequency of the harassment, the underlying threat of rape, and the impact on the harassed person’s life is rarely comparable. Most common perpetrator/victim configuration is a man sexually harassing a woman. Wesselmann and Kelly (2010) reported that social and cultural contexts along with an individual's disposition for engaging in sexual harassment (Pina & Gannon, 2012) play a role in occurrence of sexually harassing behaviours, They note that this behaviour "is most likely to be perpetrated by men with individual proclivities for sexual harassment only under context where the situational norms are tolerant, ambiguous, or even supportive of such behavior" (Wesselmann & Kelly, 2010, p. 451). In contrast, where the situational norms were not supportive of sexual harassment, men with a proclivity for sexual harassment were no more likely to sexually harass than other men. Wesselmann and Kelly (2010) also found that men were more likely to engage in the sexual harassment of strangers when they were in a group. Two main reasons for this were, a) the relative anonymity provided in a group; and b) engaging in sexual harassment acted as a form of group bonding (p. 458). Men with a proclivity to engage in sexual harassment are also more likely to hold problematic beliefs about sexual relationships and sexual violence more broadly. Summarising the available literature on this issue, Pina and Gannon (2012) indicated that these men "hold beliefs about sexual behaviour that are adverse, endorse higher levels of rape-myths and are more accepting of interpersonal violence" (p. 215). This demonstrates the interconnections between sexual harassment and more "serious" forms of sexual violence. Laniya (2005) identified three broad categories of perpetrators of street harassment:  predatory harassers: who "harass for sexual satisfaction";  dominance harassers: who "harass to reassert men's power over women"; and  Strategic/territorial harassers: who "harass to protect 'male' environments" (p. 108).

However, these categories of perpetration may not be mutually exclusive. There are likely to also be a range of other reasons that men engage in these behaviours (Laniya, 2005). The perpetrators of sexually harassing behaviours may also differ based on the context in which it occurs. For example, work-based sexual harassment is more likely to be perpetrated by someone known to the victim, whereas strangers typically perpetrate street-based harassment (Crouch, 2009). These findings also suggest that evolving social and cultural norms in a manner that rejects sexual harassment, and encouraging bystander intervention when sexual harassment is occurring, may be viable and successful avenues for preventing and reducing the occurrence of sexual harassment.

Impacts of harassment Effects of sexual harassment can vary depending on the individuality of the recipient and the severity and duration of the harassment. Often, sexual harassment incidents fall into the category of the "merely annoying, relatively benign, harmless, or even as affectionate or a joke, research suggests that these experiences can have a profoundly negative effect on victims. Harassment may lead to temporary or prolonged stress and/or depression depending on the recipient's psychological abilities to cope and the type of harassment, and the lack of social support for the recipient. Psychologists and social workers report that severe/chronic sexual harassment can have the same psychological effects as rape or sexual assault. Victims who do not submit to harassment may also experience various forms of retaliation, including isolation and bullying. As an overall social and economic effect every year sexual harassment deprives women from active social and economic participation, and huge costs in lost educational and professional opportunities for mostly girls and women. Ho and colleagues (2012) identified sexual harassment as being linked to a range of negative outcomes for female college students, including: anxiety, fear, shame, guilt, headaches, disturbed sleep, decreased appetite; and decreased weight (p. 96). In addition to these impacts, Lenton et al. (1999) also identified the following consequences of sexual harassment: work-related issues, such as loss of job opportunities and lower job satisfaction (for sexual harassment that occurs within the workplace); distrust, depression, nausea, sexual dysfunction, gastrointestinal disorders; lower self-esteem, lower self-confidence and stress reactions (pp. 522-523).

Participants in Ho et al.'s (2012) study also experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with 80% of participants reporting they had experienced at least one PTSD symptom as a result of sexual harassment. The severity of these symptoms, and particularly depression, was positively correlated with the frequency of exposure to sexual harassment. That is, the more participants had encountered sexual harassment, the more negatively they were affected by it. Further, the impact of the sexual harassment and coercion varied depending upon the type of behaviour encountered. For Ho et al.'s participants, the forms of sexual harassment that were seen as most distressing included: being stared, leered, or ogled at in a way that made the participants uncomfortable (17%); being touched in a way that made them uncomfortable (12%); and having someone make unwanted attempts to stroke or fondle them (11%) (2012, p. 100).

Common psychological, academic, professional, financial, and social effects of sexual harassment and retaliation:  Becoming publicly sexualized (i.e. groups of people "evaluate" the victim to establish if he or she is "worth" the sexual attention or the risk to the harasser's career)  Being objectified and humiliated by scrutiny and gossip. Defamation of character and reputation  Having one's personal life offered up for public scrutiny—the victim becomes the "accused", and his or her dress, lifestyle, and private life will often come under attack.  Decreased work or school performance as a result of stress conditions;  Effects on sexual life and relationships: can put extreme stress upon relationships with significant others, sometimes resulting in divorce  Firing and refusal for a job opportunity can lead to loss of job or career, loss of income  Having to drop courses, change academic plans, or leave school (loss of tuition) in fear of harassment repetition and/or as a result of stress  Having to relocate to another city, another job, or another school  Loss of references/recommendations  Loss of trust in environments similar to where the harassment occurred

 Loss of trust in the types of people that occupy similar positions as the harasser or his or her colleagues, especially in case they are not supportive, difficulties or stress on peer relationships, or relationships with colleagues  Weakening of support network, or being ostracized from professional or academic circles (friends, colleagues, or family may distance themselves from the victim, or shun him or her altogether)  Some of the psychological and health effects that can occur in someone who has been sexually harassed as a result of humiliation : depression , anxiety and/or panic attacks, sleeplessness and/or nightmares, headaches , fatigue or loss of motivation, stomach problems, eating disorders (weight loss or gain) , alcoholism, feeling betrayed and / or violated , feeling angry or violent towards the perpetrator, feeling powerless or out of control, increased blood pressure, loss of confidence and self-esteem, withdrawal and isolation, overall loss of trust in people, traumatic stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , complex post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal thoughts or attempts , suicide. The consequences of sexual harassment on the street may also be compounded by other social and structural factors, such as class, race, sexuality and disability (Ho et al., 2012; Kelly & Radford, 1996). Macmillan and colleagues (2000) found that street harassment impacted on participants' perceptions of safety "while walking alone at night, using public transportation, walking alone in a parking garage, and while home alone at night" (p. 319). These negative impacts were significant enough for the authors to suggest that "stranger harassment is a key determinant of perceptions of safety among women" (p. 319), although harassment from known perpetrators was not found to have the same impact on perceptions of safety in this instance. For participants in Fairchild and Rudman's (2008) study, experiencing sexual harassment from strangers was "related to fear of rape, and reliably related to perceived risk of rape" (p. 348). Lenton and colleagues (1999, p. 531) reported that three-quarters of the 1,990 Canadian women they interviewed experienced fear as their first reaction to being sexually harassed in public space. Other immediate reactions of participants included feeling angry (20%), violated (7.4%), repulsed (7.3%), or shocked (5.4%) (p. 531). Significantly, 19.3% of participants reported still "being afraid or upset, even though, in some cases, the harassment took place years or even decades ago" (Lenton et al., 1999, p.531). This suggests that rather than being a "minor" or trivial event, sexual harassment and street harassment has the 48

potential to negatively impact upon women in an ongoing way. Tuerkheimer (1997) encapsulated the harm caused by street harassment:” The harm to our psyches and to our spirits is as real as the damage inflicted upon our bodies when we are raped and beaten, and we are similarly oppressed by it. (p. 190)” Lenton et al. (1999) found that women who have experienced sexual harassment were more likely to engage in the use of protective routines in comparison to women who had not experienced sexual harassment - and women's use of avoidance or protective routines in public spaces has been well documented (Esacove, 1998; Stanko, 1985, 1990). For example, women who had experienced street harassment were more likely to avoid certain streets or public areas "always or most of the time" (54.6%) in comparison to women who had not experienced this harassment (36.4%) (Lenton et al., 1999, p. 534). This suggests that sexual harassment in public places has the potential to impact women's fear of crime and perceptions of safety in public spaces, and thus, to curtail women's freedom of movement and access to/use of public space (Laniya, 2005). This impediment negatively impacts their social and economic wellbeing. For example, feeling unsafe in public spaces can restrict when and where women are able to work or engage in social settings in ways that men generally do not experience (Laniya, 2005; MacKinnon, 1979, in relation to economic freedom). Coping Sexual harassment, by definition, is unwanted and not to be tolerated. However, a number of effective ways are used by victims to overcome the resulting psychological effects, regain healthy feelings within personal relationships, recover the ability to concentrate and be productive in educational, work environments as well as remain in or return to society, regain social approval. This may include stress management and therapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy, friends and family support, etc. Immediate psychological and legal counselling are used since self-treatment may not release stress or remove trauma, and simply reporting to authorities may not have the desired effect, may be ignored, or may further injure the victim at its response. Barriers to disclosure and reporting: It has been well established in the literature on sexual violence that there is significant under-reporting of incidents of sexual violence. It is estimated that as many as 85% of victims do not report their experiences to police, or otherwise disclose to friends, family or service workers (ABS, 1996). Any statistics are likely to underestimate the true extent of women's experiences of sexual

harassment (Pina & Gannon, 2012). For example, in Lenton et al.'s (1999) study only 9% of participants had reported "their most upsetting experience of harassment to police" (p. 531). In AHRC survey on sexual harassment only 20% of respondents who were sexually harassed "made a formal report or complaint" (AHRC, 2012, p. 5). Age influences perception of safety. Young people are more fearful of violence in public domain. Socio-economic status is another factor associated with these fears and poverty also highlights greater apprehension. People living in poverty experience a heightened sense of fear of assault due to lack of material and social resources and at a community level ‘lack of contacts, organizational ability and political networks available to higher status neighbourhood’. (Panzis 2000). There are a range of factors that may contribute to the under- reporting and disclosure of sexual harassment:  Victims may not recognise or label their experience as constituting sexual harassment as sexual harassment constitutes a broad range of behaviours. (AHRC, 2012; Bursik & Gefter, 2011; Pina & Gannon, 2012).  The behaviour in question may not be illegal, so there are no or limited avenues of reporting (Lenton et al., 1999).  Sexual harassment is often dismissed as trivial, or even welcome, behaviour (Kelly & Radford, 1996; Lenton et al., 1999; MacKinnon, 1979; Stanko, 1996).  Victims may feel that no one will take them seriously.  Victims may fear reprisal from the perpetrator or other negative outcomes (such as being viewed as a "troublemaker"), particularly for sexual harassment that occurs within the workplace (MacKinnon, 1979; Pina & Gannon, 2012).1  Victims may downplay the harm of their experience as a coping strategy, particularly in relation to work-based harassment to allow them to maintain their employment (Kelly & Radford, 1996).  Victims may consider it too risky to complain in a workplace environment that is permissive of sexual harassment (Pina & Gannon, 2012, p. 211). Legal provisions in India According to The Constitution of India sexual harassment infringes the fundamental right of a woman to gender equality under Article 14 and 15 and her right

to life and live with dignity under Article 21. Discrimination against women and girls is one of the most important obstacles for women empowerment and gender equality. Crimes against women in India are classified under two categories: 1. Crimes classified under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 20 crimes specified under the Special Laws (SL). Crimes under IPC include: i) Rape (Sections 375 &376), Indian Penal Code’s Section 375 recognized rape, thus, as: “A man is said to commit “rape” who has sexual intercourse with a women in circumstances following under any of the six descriptions as below” : i) Against her will. ii) Without her consent. iii) With her consent having been obtained by putting her or any person in who she is interested, in fear of death or hurt. iv) With the consent, when the man knows that he is not her husband, and that her consent is given because she is believes that he is another man to whom she is or believe to be lawfully married. v) With the consent, when in unsound state of mind or intoxicated and is unable to understand the nature of consequences. vi) With or without her consent when she is under sixteen years of age. After April 2013, the description has been revised through the Criminal Law (Amendments) Act 2013, which also raises the legal age to Eighteen. Simple wordings of “Sexual intercourse” have also been explicitly elaborated. The earlier six conditions have been added with the seventh: “When she is unable to communicate consent”. Here consent means an unequivocal voluntary agreement when the women, by words, gestures or any form of verbal or non verbal communication, communicate willingness to participate in the specific sexual act. Provided that women who does not physically resist to the act of penetration shall not by the reason only of that fact, be regarded as consenting to the sexual activity. ii) Kidnapping and Abduction (Sections 363 & 373), iii) Dowry Homicides (302 3040, iv) Torture; Physical and/or Mental (498A), v) Molestation (354),

vi) Eve- Teasing or Sexual harassment (294/509), Eve-Teasing:-It is a non- bailable offence committed by way of whistling, winking and stalking offences [Those who are witnesses to such incidents in public places and do not intervene to help the victim may be made a party]. Blank Calls, Lewd SMS/MMS: Offenders are booked under sections 509 (words, gestures intended to outrage the modesty of a woman), 354 or other sections. vii) Importations of Girls (366B). viii) Acid Attack: It is tried either under section 307 or 326. Special law category- crimes include: i) Immoral Trafficking (Act 1956), Demanding Dowry (Act 1961), and includes Indecent representation of Women (Act 1986). Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 says, ‘a person commits the offence of insulting the modesty of women when he: i) utters any words, ii) makes any sounds or gestures, iii) exhibits any object with the intention to be seen/heard by a woman, iv) intrudes upon the privacy of a woman. Eve teasing, first used in India to refer to behaviour of male university students towards their female counterparts (The Times 1960: 9; Barrett 2006: 109; Mitra-Sarkar and Partheeban 2009: 75), refers to all forms of harassment women face in public spaces considered trivial, funny and part of everyday life, thus acting as mechanisms legitimizing harassment by positioning the presence of women in public spaces as ‘provocative’. Later it was classified as those offences that outrage the modesty of women by word, gesture or acts and causes lesser ‘hurt’ than molestation referring to Sexual harassment of women in public space. It is argued that the semantic roots of the term, “eve” as a temptress being teased, normalises the issue of sexual harassment (Gangoli 2007: 93). In India, however, while sections 509, 294 and 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) have provision for dealing with ‘eve teasing’ and sexual harassment, the intention behind the offence on the part of the perpetrator must be proven, which makes punishment of the culprit very challenging (Jain and Singh 2001: 165-172). In addition to being ineffective in terms of securing convictions, section 509 has been accused of being “couched in completely irrelevant and outdated language and talks about making gestures and sounds with the intention to ‘insult the modesty of a woman’” (Singh 2004: 93). Feminists have argued that relevant sections of the penal code are “wholly inadequate in defining the experiences of women” (Agnes 1992, 19-33; Gangoli 2007: 63). A lack of recognition of sexual harassment as a problem within the legal framework has been attributed to the domination of institutions 52

by male authority (SAATHI 199; Karlekar 1995. This is because the men in positions of authority are unable to empathise with the experience of women, making it difficult for victim to achieve legal recourse when harassed. There is a lack of legal support for complainants due to corruption, in the court and bribing of lawyers (Abraham, C. personal communication, August 08 2012). It has also been asserted that ineffective system for punitive or preventive role does not have any deterrent effect and thus complainants do not tend to pursue cases after the initial complaint (Atray 1988: 36). Metropolis of NCR-the history The onset of the Delhi Sultanate, in the 12thcentury, also coincides with the extensive coverage of Delhi’s visible history. It witnessed succession of mighty empires and powerful kingdoms to be acknowledged as one of the longest serving Capitals and one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. Delhi encapsulates everything that is grand and glorifying being famous as the hot seat of power and politics. Modern Delhi has a unique history. In 1911 when the then rulers, the British, decided to make Delhi the capital of India, a huge area was acquired comprising of arable and non-arable lands. On the 12thDecember 1911 Delhi was declared the new capital of India and Lutyen’s Delhi, called New Delhi, was built on its south-west portions. These landowners were the villagers who were basically agriculturists with traditional mindset, untouched by modern attitudes and ways of life that came with the urbanisation in the wake of new settlement of Government servants, businessmen or nobilities. As a matter of mutual convenience neither the newcomers nor the villagers preferred mixing due to cultural gaps and contrasts. As a result a red circle (Lal Dora), was drawn around these villages and the villages were called Lal Dora thence. The term, Lal Dora, was first used in 1908 referring to village lands or Abadi (habitation) which could be used by the villagers for their ancillary purposes such as keeping livestock. Such lands were exempted from municipality rules and regulations. The red line drawn on the maps delineated the village population from the nearby agricultural land for revenue records. The practice continued since then. The villagers also built houses without need to confirm to building by-laws and without any permission in the Lal Dora areas. In 1983, it was extended in six villages granting them the benefit as already availed by the villages falling under the bounds of Lal Dora. Currently, there is no house tax up to 200 sq. meters of plots and houses. Independent of the controls of the municipality or Urban Development authority, the areas belonging to marked Lal

Dora as well as nearby areas started development in the most haphazard manner. It started posing problems for the civil authorities as it had no rules. The result has-been an uncontrolled population density and wide spread inadequacies of infrastructural facilities. Delhi’s revenue record has a list of 362 villages out of which 135 are currently classified as urban villages and 227 are rural villages. Lal Dora areas are fraught with problems of rampant illegal constructions, gross commercialization, bad infrastructure, overpopulation and massive unemployment. All aspects of infrastructure front, roads or sewerage, water or power, sanitation or hygiene, have become perennial problem. In an important judgement in September 2004, the Delhi High Court said that there should no distinction in the treatment of rural and urban areas within urban limits, which implies that civic municipal laws should have been applied in all Lal Dora areas. But, it never has been applied. It has been suggested that reason lies in lack of political will. However, the large number of villages within the city presents a totally paradoxical cultural picture. The womenfolk of these areas are hugely exposed to various types of sexual harassment as the infrastructural developments of the city are carried out without taking in account the needs of women. The experiences of its women folk are significantly different from the experiences of its male counterpart. Assault and/or apprehension of assault critically undermines a woman’s sense of lack of physical and personal securities which are essential component for women’s senses of well being and stand as a road block in development of an inclusive society. Modern Delhi/the NCR Delhi along with its urban region got the Special status of National capital region (NCR) under the Constitution of India’s 69th Amendment Act of 1991. Haryana on three sides and UP to the East of Delhi, India’s most expansive city occupies about 1484 Sq. Km of area with a population of about 25 million people (2014). It is the second most populous urban agglomeration in India and 3rd largest urban area in the world. Its geographical location in North western India makes it the most backward region in terms of sex ratio and women’s rights. Delhi is also one of the most unequal cities in the country in terms of caste and income showing huge Social and financial disparities.

In 2009-2010 Delhi’s gross State domestic Product was at 2,176 million. In 2013 the per capita income of Delhi was reported to be Rs.210, 000.

Population (2011 census): 16,753,235 Male: 8,790,000 Female: 7,564,000 Major population of work force 73.39% is in the age group of 15 – 44.  Sex Ratio: 1000:866  Literacy rate: 86.34%

Population Growth: Year Total Growth rate  2001 13,782,976 46.30%  2011 16,753,235 21.60%

Social group wise break-up:  SC 20.74%  OBC 10.89%  Others 68.37%

Break-up of persons engagement  Trade 28.23%  Services 27.55%  Manufacturing 20.44%  Transport 9.37%  Construction 8.21%

Delhi has highest road density of 2013 km/per 100 sq.km in India. Buses are the most popular means of transport catering to about 60% of Delhi’s total demand. But a robust public transport system is still a dream.

There are several National Highways emerging out of or passing through Delhi:  NH 1 Delhi- Attari  NH 2 Delhi - Kolkata  NH 8 Delhi – Mumbai  NH 10 Delhi – Fazilka  NH 24 Delhi – Lucknow Unemployment in Delhi: “The unemployment rate in urban area of Delhi is 40 per thousand persons in labour force as compared to 34 per thousand in urban area at the national level”. (Presented by the Directorate of Economics & Statics, Delhi Government)

 Unemployment rate: Rural Urban  Per 10,000 persons 107 30  Male: 31%  Female: 41%

 Total Households : 36.48 lakh  Rural : 0.96  Urban : 35.52  Av. Family size : 4.48 persons Delhi Police  Total Strength : 84,536 (including IR Battalion) as in 2015  11 districts have 181 Police Stations divided as under :  161 Territorial, 2 IGI Airport, 5 Railway Stations, 8 Metro Stations and 5 Specialized Crime Units declared as Police Station namely, Economic Offences Wing, Crime Branch, Special cell, Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC) & Vigilance.  The police to public ratio is far from satisfactory. The capital has one police man for every 800 citizens.

Mahila police in Delhi National average of lady police personnel is about 6% in India. Chandigarh has the highest percentage of lady police personnel (about 16%). Nearly 8% of Delhi Police consists of lady police. However, case of women safety in Delhi constitutes a unique situation. Number of employed women is much greater in Delhi than in many other places. Women in Delhi move a lot more than women in many other places. Thus, just a calculation of population count of women in Delhi might not provide a clear picture of factors involved in safety of women as compared to other cities in India. Delhi requires a huge number of lady police personnel to control law and order problems specially to ensure that; i) larger number of cases to be reported and, ii) safe travelling/ movements for women and girls in Delhi NCR.

 Gurgaon Bordering on South West of Delhi Gurgaon is the technical hub of Haryana, it occupies 732.2 sq kms.

 2011 census:  Total Population : 1,514,085 Male: 817, 274 Female: 696,811.  Sex ratio: 1000:870 (improved during last 4 years.  It registers rapid growth in population because:  It offers better job opportunity,  It has decent standards of living,  It has better connectivity through better and economical transport facilities with Noida, Delhi and Faridabad.

Population Growth:  2011 876,824  2012 1,132,814  2013 1,487,628  2014 1,788,541

NOIDA (Distt. Gautam Buddha Nagar) 2.Reported cases of crime against Women Year Section under IPC No. of cases 2016 (01.01.2016 376 (Rape) 88

to 30.11.2016) (3 were found false) 354 232 294 11 504 4 2015 376 37 354 120 294 06 509 nil

2. Other Information:  Number of Police Stations in the District 22  PS in Greater Noida 06  PS in NOIDA 08 Mahila PS

3.Strength of Police force (Gender wise) Male Female  Police Inspector 29 2  Sub Inspector 216 6  Head Constable 291 1  Constable 1674 122  This list does not include SSP/SP/Dy SP.

Crime Against Women Crimes against women in Delhi Heads 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 (Till 15.10.2016) Rape 376 IPC 706 1636 2166 2199 1751 Assault With 3489 727 3515 4322 5367 Intent to outrage modesty 354 IPC Insult to the 208 916 1361 1492 783 modesty Of women (509 IPC)

Kidnapping 2048 3286 3604 3738 2789

Abduction 162 323 423 556 396

Cruelty by 2046 3045 3194 3536 3053 Husband 498-A/406 IPC

Three Years Rape Statistics in Delhi: On a black 16th December 2012, a 23 year old student, travelling in a public bus alone with her male companion, was brutally raped in moving bus. It sparked unprecedented protest that continued even after her death. She had violently fought with the perpetrators during the assault and kept unrelenting bold gesture even during the days she was fighting her death call. Gang of accused persons had a Juvenile participant as well. In May 2014, two girl aged 14 and 16 were gang raped. In April a Five year old Girl was raped and brutally beaten by a neighbour for days before being recovered. In a separate case another Five year old girl was subjected to sexual assault in south Delhi slum. In spite of an anti rape law being passed in the parliament (Amendment Act, 2013) to strengthen the countries law on sexual assault against women with strict punishment for offenses like Rape, stalking, voyeurism, etc. The incidents are showing to be on rise instead of decline. Newspaper are riddled with such stories

where girls and women are reported to be raped by somebody at public places like railway stations, public parks, streets, bus stops, Malls and such other places . Even within the confines of her own home a female is not secured this metropolitan NCR. Statistically, rape is the fourth most common crime against women in India. According to National Crime Bureau’s 2013 report, 24,923 rape cases across India. The 2014 NCRB report notes that there are 33764 cases of rape having been registered in India. It also shows a jump of 135% over the previous year. Out of these victims 4427 are girls under the age of 14 years. About 26.3% (8877) victims are teen age female (14- 18). 41.1% (15556) are women in the age group of 18 to 30 years. Statistically, Delhi presents a very grim picture. It records the highest number of rape cases in the country. 92 women are raped in India everyday and out of it 4 are in everyday in Delhi, more than 4% of the national figure with less than 1% of its population share. These numbers do not include Gurgaon and Noida.

Year 2011 2012 2013 Total Average Case 572 706 1636 2914 971 Registered

On an average 3 cases per day were registered in Delhi from 2011 to 2013 (In 2014 it has jumped to 4 per day). Post the Nirbhaya incident, the number of cases in 2013 more than doubled from the previous year strangely. The number of cases registered in 2013 compared to 2012 increased by staggering 131%. There are 4997 cases pending in trial courts. The total number of arrests in Delhi during these three years is 3450 out of which the total number of conviction is only 925. In September2016, the National Crime Records Bureau released data showed 33% increase in stalking cases across India and 60% of all the accused were men between 18 and 30. Shockingly, 84% of stalking cases were pending in the courts in 2015. In 2014, 91% were pending. The Dec. 16, 2012 rape and murder of Nirbhaya by a group of men on a moving bus in Delhi brought about new laws that doubled prison terms for rape and criminalized voyeurism and stalking. It is worth noting that:

Over the last three years, 75 cases of rape were registered everyday across the country with3 cases being registered every hour. On an average 93 persons were arrested every day. There is a huge pendency of cases in courts. In view of the two tables given above it may be found that incidences of violence against women are very high in Delhi. The above statistic also shows that with growing gender equality, crime of sexual atrocity have started making headlines. Public reactions to these crimes keep varying between peaks and lows ; peaking when brought to lime light and ebbing away after a period of sustained vociferous condemnation on social media platforms and occasional candle light march. (More information about crime situation in Delhi NCR and its management by Police has been provided in Appendix.) Sadly, the NCR Delhi, according to statistic, holds the record of the highest number of sexual harassment, sexual atrocities and rape among all Indian cities. In the entire NCR, that includes Gurgaon and Noida, public places have become the most unsafe vicinity for women. Here, sexual harassments and other forms of sexual violence’s have become everyday occurrence for women of all ages and economic strata in public places and neighbourhood. To summarize, the figures and the trend of the crimes, as above, demand in depth identification of broad reasons that motivate such crimes. Safety mechanism to protect the vulnerable ought to be developed. Also, a sense of fear in the minds of the perpetrators is necessary to be inculcated. Such incidences or even its possibilities or the apprehension of it happening, reduces women’s freedom, their ability to participate in school or college, their working capabilities and their public life. It limits their access to essential services, even to enjoy cultural and recreational opportunities. It negatively impacts their health and sense of well being and traumatizes their overall personality growth. Violence against women in public domain has been largely a neglected issue. So, sexual harassment might be everywhere, where women and girls appear. Maybe unaware of how seriously it impacts the victims, the perpetrators, young boys and adult men feel a sense of “fun” in sexually harassing a girl/woman. Such acts are further trivialized, and sometimes even justified, by friend, family, community and institutions. It is often seen as a joke, a compliment or our fault. In reality this is bullying, and it is harmful not only to the victim but to others who witness it.

CHAPTER 2

DEFINING THE RESEARCH

Issues before the Present Research A critical analysis of the review brings to fore certain issues which need attention. As is clear from the above discussion, there is not adequate and reliable information about the phenomena of women safety. It is no secret that women are unsafe on the streets of Delhi. Street harassment or sexual atrocity like rape etc. in public places is an under researched topic though it is a significant and widely prevalent problem. In a notable study of 630 women of all ages and socio economic status in New Delhi and Old Delhi it was found that 95% of respondents felt that their mobility was restricted because of fear of sexual harassments in public places. 82% of them also said that buses were the most unsafe mode of transport. Sexual harassment is a complex challenge, one that is controversial, contentious and often not taken seriously. Attitudes towards sexual harassment range from discomfort, fear, concern, to disbelief and indifference. For ages a common belief existed that abuse, rape, exploitation, trafficking and similar violence against women were caused by conflict, fights, wars, and when family protections weakened and destroyed. This belief is contradicted by the fact that in normal life a female is victimized by sexual harassment, assault and other atrocities by somebody totally unknown to her. Since earlier times, most forms of violence against women were hidden under silence or were even accepted. Societal bias makes the

victims feel that they are at fault for having suffered it. The subject is still taboo, where victims prefer to suffer in silence rather than confront their harassers or reports their actions. Many are reluctant or uncomfortable about even recognizing what has happened to them, or confused or guilt-ridden that they may have brought it on themselves. Those who perpetrate these crimes feel justified in ignoring societal messages that rape, sexual harassment and other forms of violence are ‘not unacceptable’. But the changing social environment in terms of education, employment and legal rights of women meant to empower them signifies a great societal transformation in Indian society in recent times. Women have come out of their homes in large numbers and have joined in the nation building. Spread of literacy and shading off of age old dogmatic practices has largely contributed to emerging boldness of reporting the cases though there is still high under reporting of the incidents. Incidences of sexual harassment/ atrocities threaten and prevent their freedom of movement and limit their ability to make choices about their lives. It can limit their access to public spaces and lower their comfort levels. It can cause women to ‘choose’ less convenient routes and alter their routines; give up hobbies and change habits; and even quit jobs, move neighbourhoods or simply stay at home. Though measures and steps to eliminate sexual harassment have been taken by the government/other social bodies, many crimes remain unpunished. One strong reason might be the absence of strong reprimand or punishment and a silent acceptance of the society in general. Sexual harassment, in any form, imposes unpleasant circumstances to the victims and can limits their private freedom and deprive them of their civil rights. There is need to eliminate women-directed violence in public and private spaces, raise awareness on human rights especially women rights on gender based equality. However, newspapers, TV reports, serials and movies show and publish cases relating to day to day incidents of street harassment against women making it more and more apparent that such incidents occur on a massive scale. No woman is secure or immune and it can create harmful and lasting effects upon the women subjected to it. Even family, friends and public institutions are cruelly insensitive about it. In India, women are guaranteed equality, freedom, opportunity and protection by the Constitution and several legislations. Nonetheless they continue to be victims of domestic violence, family violence, and violence in the community and at workplaces. There are a number of laws against sexual harassment. Is the community benefiting 63

from the legal provisions, Acts in their lives? The experience has to be analyzed to come up with relevant information which would help in removing the barrier so that these laws become a positive force in our society. And the next equally important question is, “Is the community empowered and aware enough to make use and seek protection of the law made for them”? The laws are meant for everyone using the public space. Given to the background of sexual harassment against women and girls, this research aims to increase information about the causes and remedies of this phenomenon and identify ways based on the experiences of the victims of sexual harassment to combat harassment. It is worth mentioning that this research’s findings will help to 1.) Provide better services to the victims, 2.) Advocate for improving the preventive regulations, 3.) Suggest recommendations for law modifications, 4.) Increase awareness via social media and other public outreach resources, and 5.) Establish Watch dog Groups in unsafe spots to combat this problem. Objectives of the study:  To identify most rampant causes of sexual harassment perceived by women.  To determine the most important factors that enhances common women’s safety in public places.  To discern women’s responses in cases of violence against them.  To find feasibilities of women’s access to Police and other governing agencies.  To find the level of awareness regarding laws concerning rapes and its punishments among women and men.  To enlist gender sensitive activities in communities, particularly low income group persons, for improving gender sensitive relationship

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY Tools of study: Secondary documents, laws and policies were reviewed along with previous research and conclusions. Participatory Rural Appraisal tools (e.g. semi-structured interviews and focused group discussions) were used in the pilot study and based on that, structured Instrument (questionnaires) were developed to identify the issues and main attitudes behind the sample groups’ thinking. Some questions covering each dimension of the study were developed. The exact number of questions was decided after preliminary field visits. Information, knowledge and understanding of field situations have been used to enhance the quality of the questionnaire.

A. Quantitative Method 1. Questionnaire Questionnaire schedule was the main tool of data collection. Research study of women safety from sexual assault at public spaces in national capital region interview schedule was prepared to address the research issues. After the first brainstorming session, the questions were generated and given to five people for comments. This way the questionnaire was modified and fine tuned four times. Discussion was also held with community people, gender experts and NGO workers before finalizing the questionnaire. Questions were oriented towards the objectives of the study. It included questions about perceived causes and consequences, identity of offenders and ideas for preventing mechanisms from people and respondents point of view to tackle this phenomenon in public places. The questions were on the following dimensions: (Appendix 1: Questionnaire-30 questions) Demographic information was taken in the questionnaire - Question no. 1 to 11 Each question covering one dimension had many sub-questions. The details are provided below: No. of sub questions

1. Demographic Information 11 2. Feeling of safety by women while travelling in NCR 01 3. Awareness about sexual abuses that women suffer on street 03 4. Identity of sex offenders 07 5. Time of sexual assault on streets 03 6. Who helps 06 7. Action in case of sexual assault 04 8. Reasons for not reporting 07 9. Impact on women 05 10. Location of sexual harassment incidents 10 11. Activities for Community in area 07 12. Awareness about government schemes- 09 13. Awareness about the laws and acts 04 14. Reasons for high crime against women in NCR 15 15. Age of sex offenders 04 16. Perceived socio-economic status of sex offenders 03 17. Vulnerability of women for sexual assault 10 18. Response of women to sexual harassment 09 19. Factors to improve women safety 09

Sample design: The study used purposive sampling methods to collect information from selected respondents belonging to diverse categories spread across Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida.

Sample size and categories: Total sample size was 5221 with each respondent category sub divided into various categories with specific sample size allotted to each category. Details are as below.

Table 1 - Profile of Respondents The above mentioned respondents were divided into all nine districts of Delhi along with Gurgaon and Noida. Thus, questionnaires were filled by a total of 5221 respondents. As the media reports and pilot survey had revealed street violence to be positively related to lower socio-economic groups, the sample was mainly lower socio- economic group in rural, semi-urban and even in urban areas and slum clusters.

 South District  New Delhi District  South West District  West District  North East District   East District  North West District   South East District  Shahdara District In order to seek support from government agencies, if required, letters were posted to: 4. Principal secretary, Dept. of Women and Child Development, Govt. of UP, Lucknow, with a copy to the District Magistrate, GBNagar. 5. Principal secretary, Dept. of Women and Child Development, Govt. of Haryana, Chandigarh with a copy to the Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon. 6. The Secretary, dept. of Women and Child Development, Govt. of NCT of Delhi with copies to all 11 deputy Commissioners of respective districts.

B.Qualitative methods Focus group discussions were held with people of the target areas. Respondents here included the residents, students, teachers, doctors, hospital people, authorities and other people from the community, (men and women). The points discussed were related to suggestions and recommendations about the implementation.

C. Data Collection Data collection was done as per the design of the study. Questionnaire schedule was applied on the above mentioned sample. The responses of the respondents were recorded on the different items of the schedule. Demographic information on education, income etc. were also collected. The respondents were interviewed and the schedules filled by the investigators. Before selecting and approaching any particular community for the study in any district, one or two local persons having knowledge and the information of the nearby localities and communities were included in the team by the field workers. This enabled the research team to gain confidence of the target community. In the course of data collection, whenever the research team would visit a mohalla of a village or town, they would soon be surrounded by a curious group of people. As per the research plan, the male investigators would introduce themselves to the male group and the women team would mix with the women folk. Initially, the purpose of the visit (study) would be outlined to the group in general terms and then 3- 4 males and an equal number of females would be selected by the male and female investigators respectively for interviewing. In the selection of the respondents for individual and families for interviewing, young and competent persons were used as criteria so that by and large a representative sample could be studied. Often, soon after conducting individual interviews with four or five individuals, it would become difficult for the research team to resist the curious group of onlookers and soon, group interviews would begin. In large settlement areas (village tolas) or township mohallas, the research team would move from one spot to another covering about small groups at each spot.

D. The Interview Process  The interview session would start by giving specific introductory instructions regarding the purpose of the study, i.e., to collect information regarding general status of the factors of street (public space) sexual harassment. These instructions would, however, vary between respondents, groups or localities depending upon the receptivity of the respondents. But the actual theme (statement of the purpose) would remain the same.

 During the interview, questions were asked one by one in a conversational manner conversational manner and preferably in colloquial language so that to elicit the most desired results. The questions were elaborated whenever needed. The atmosphere was kept informal and the respondents were allowed to talk freely on different points. They were also allowed to express their ideas in their own language. The investigators too, wherever and as far as possible, would try to communicate in the local language. Particular answers to the item/question were assessed carefully and recorded accordingly on the scale associated with each item of the schedule.  Besides interviews, field notes based on experiences narrated by elderly males/females as well as views of more active respondents of the community and other sources were also prepared. At the end of the interview session, the research team would thank the respondents before their departure.  In the same manner, the entire selected sample were approached and interviewed. The entire exercise of data collection took about three months during which the team travelled the entire stretch of the universe of the study.

E. Problems encountered during data collection  Collecting valid, reliable, and ethical data on street sexual harassment poses particular challenges because: a) what constitutes harassment or abuse varies across sub-cultures and individuals; b) reporting can be affected by the culture of silence that surrounds experiences of sexual harassment by the victims; and c)specific ethical concerns have to be addressed due to the sensitivity of the topic, concerns for the safety of respondents and interviewers when talking about sexual harassment in public places, and the need to protect women who disclose their experiences. The specialized training was provided for field staff. Apart from these, following observations were made by the investigators during field work regarding the difficulties faced by them:  General respondents showed no enthusiasm in readily responding to questions. Many people declined when approached. Many took lot of persuasion for responses and showed initial reservation when approached individually  Many respondents felt that it was a waste of their time. They felt that they would not gain anything by answering the questionnaire. In fact some even said that

they have filled similar questionnaires earlier but no one has ever come back to give them any feedback.  Some other respondents felt that some views asked for were of a confidential nature and they would not like to share with others. However, they were reassured that their views would be kept confidential and if they so wanted, they need not give their names.  A major difficulty encountered was that the males were very much disinterested in answering the questionnaire. Many of them replied that it was a woman’s topic and that these should be filled by women.  Respondents were more forth coming when in group.  There awareness/information was found to be based more on hearsay.  Illiterate and poor women participated more enthusiastically than the affluent ones.  Police and other stakeholders were very reluctant and uncooperative asking for lot of paraphernalia in order to respond.  At various places where it was said that CC camera were fixed, no such instruments were found either mounted or in operation. At some other places, while CC TVs were mounted in streets, the face of camera was found to be covered. Gurgaon and Noida did not have CC Camera.  Most of lower rank govt. employees were busy in data collection for Adhar Card.  Women, particularly belonging to low income groups, were conservative and restrained in freely expressing their views. They often looked at male members present there for guidance and permission. This was found in the age group of 40+ whereas in lower age group the women more insisting on recording their opinion rather than the ones given by male persons.  Government employees, particularly police, were very slow in responses and wanted lots of time taking paraphernalia to be observed. In spite of showing the letter of authorization issued by the Ministry of WCD they did not readily cooperate.

F. Data Analysis Data analyzing Method/ Coding Plan

The responses of the participants were recorded on the different items of the schedule. Initially, a database was created for data recording and analysis. After data collection the coding plan was explained to the computer expert. Scores were assigned to the levels of responses and added up to generate a score on the various dimensions. Data were systematically coded and entered in computer Excel sheet and analyzed. Software of SPSS software was used for analyzing collected data to clearly determine and compare research findings. For analysis, mean and percent scores have been computed for each question for the whole group.

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS This chapter presents the data collected by quantitative methods as well as qualitative methods namely, focus group interviews of communities and interviews of functionaries. 1. Quantitative Findings: Tables were generated for the dimensions discussed below: Table 12 Perceived Feeling of safety while travelling in NCR Table 12 shows response to question whether a woman feels safe in travelling inside NCR. The reply has been noted in terms of yes, no and cannot say for women, men and stakeholders separately and together too. As is clear from the table, only11% of women, 12 % of men and 11 % of stakeholders have said that they think that women feel safe while travelling in NCR. While 82 % of women, 78 % of men and 83 % of stakeholders have said that women do not feel safe while travelling in NCR. 7% of women and 7% stakeholders claim they cannot say and similarly 10% of men cannot say. So if we look at the total score we find that an overwhelming percentage 81% of respondents have said that women feel unsafe while travelling in NCR, while 11% feel that women feel safe while travelling in NCR and 8% feel that they cannot comment on this matter.

Table 12A - Women Feel Safe While Travelling in NCR Sl. Response No. of Respondents Total Delhi Gurgaon Noida No. % No. % No. % No. % 1 Safe 496 11% 60 16% 4 1% 560 11% 2 Not Safe 3646 82% 293 77% 370 99% 4309 83% 3 Can't say 322 7% 30 8% 0 0% 352 7%

Total 4464 100% 383 100% 374 100% 5221 100%

Table 12 A shows response to question whether a woman feels safe in travelling inside NCR. The reply has been noted in terms of yes, no and cannot say for the respondents in Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida separately and together too. As is clear from

the table, only11% Delhi, 16 % of Gurgaon and 01 % of Noida sample have said that they think that women feel safe while travelling in NCR. While 82 % of Delhi sample, 77 % of Gurgaon sample and 99 % of Noida people have said that women do not feel safe while travelling in NCR. 7% of Delhi and 8% Gurgaon claim they cannot say and similarly 0% of sample from Noida cannot say. So if we look at the total score we find that an overwhelming percentage 83% of respondents have said that women feel unsafe while travelling in NCR, while 11% feel that women feel safe while travelling in NCR and 7% feel that they cannot comment on this matter.

Table 12D Women Feel Safe While Traveling in NCR Sl. Respondents Categories of Respondents No. of Respondents Total Yes No Can't say No. % No. % No. % No. % 1 Women Government job 16 7% 218 89% 12 5% 246 100% Private job in organised sector 38 10% 318 86% 14 4% 370 100%

Private job in unorganised sector 26 7% 328 87% 24 6% 378 100%

Factory workers/Construction 70 10% 562 83% 48 7% 680 100% Workers Domestic helpers 24 8% 264 90% 4 1% 292 100%

Housewife 116 12% 802 83% 48 5% 966 100% Travellers/Tourists 26 14% 124 69% 30 17% 180 100%

College/School students 146 13% 859 78% 94 9% 1099 100%

Unemployed 12 13% 72 77% 10 11% 94 100% Sub Total 474 11% 3547 82% 284 7% 4305 100%

Men Government job 4 5% 72 95% 0 0% 76 100% 2 Private job in organised sector 16 20% 56 70% 8 10% 80 100% Private job in unorganised sector 18 26% 50 71% 2 3% 70 100%

Factory workers/Construction 10 7% 134 93% 0 0% 144 100% DomesticWorkers helpers 4 10% 32 80% 4 10% 40 100% Housewife 0 0% 10 83% 2 17% 12 100%

Travellers/Tourists 10 19% 30 56% 14 26% 54 100%

College/School students 8 7% 76 67% 30 26% 114 100% Unemployed 0 0% 6 100% 0 0% 6 100%

Sub Total 70 12% 466 78% 60 10% 596 100% 16 5% 298 93% 6 2% 320 100% 3 Stakeholders Police, Bus staffs etc. Overall Government job 20 6% 290 90% 12 4% 322 100% Private job in organised sector 54 12% 374 83% 22 5% 450 100%

Private job in unorganised sector 44 10% 378 84% 26 6% 448 100% Factory workers/Construction 80 10% 696 84% 48 6% 824 100% Workers Domestic helpers 28 8% 296 89% 8 2% 332 100%

Housewife 116 12% 812 83% 50 5% 978 100% Travellers/Tourists 36 15% 154 66% 44 19% 234 100% College/School students 154 13% 935 77% 124 10% 1213 100% Unemployed 12 12% 78 78% 10 10% 100 100% Stakeholders 16 5% 298 93% 6 2% 320 100%

Total 560 11% 4311 83% 350 7% 5221 100%

Table 12 D shows response to question whether a woman feels safe in travelling inside NCR for different categories of respondents separately and together too. The reply has been noted in terms of yes, no and cannot say. As is clear from the table, out of 82% of women respondents, 90% of domestic helpers, 89% of government job holders have been found to feel it is unsafe for women to travel in NCR. 93% of the police and bus staff out of 83% of the stakeholders said that women feel unsafe while travelling in NCR. While 83 % of women, 93% of men factory workers and 95% of the men in government jobs said that women feel unsafe while travelling in NCR. Overall 81% of all respondents said that women feel unsafe while travelling in NCR.

Table 13-Awareness about abuses women suffer-All respondents Table 13 shows whether respondents are aware that women and girl suffer from sexual abuse in public places. The total response shows that a very high level of awareness has been shown by the respondents that women using public space are suffering from sexual harassment.87% of total sample agrees that girls suffer from verbal abuse, 88% believe that they suffer from physical abuse and 94% that they are being stared at. Moreover, there does not seem to be much difference between the male and female as well as stakeholder. Table 13

Awareness about Women and Girls Suffer in NCR from Different Abuses- According to DifferentRespondents Sl. Particulars % of Respondents Yes No Can't say Women Men Stakeholders Total Women Men Stakeholders Total Women Men Stakeholders Total 1 Verbal comments 87% 85% 89% 87% 7% 7% 4% 7% 6% 8% 6% 7% 2 Physical (touching, feeling up etc.) 88% 86% 88% 88% 7% 7% 5% 7% 5% 7% 8% 5% 3 Visual (staring, leering etc.) 95% 92% 84% 94% 3% 6% 10% 4% 2% 2% 6% 3%

Response in terms of their awareness regarding existence of the three kinds of abuse. Table 13A

Awareness about Women and Girls Suffer in NCR from Different Abuses Sl. Particulars % of Respondents Yes No Can't say Delhi Gurgaon Noida Total Delhi Gurgaon Noida Total Delhi Gurgaon Noida Total 1 Verbal comments 85% 98% 95% 87% 8% 1% 3% 7% 7% 1% 2% 7%

2 Physical (touching, feeling up etc.) 87% 91% 95% 88% 8% 7% 2% 7% 6% 3% 3% 5%

3 Visual (staring, leering etc.) 94% 97% 85% 94% 3% 2% 13% 4% 3% 2% 2% 3%

Table 13A shows whether respondents from the three locations separately, Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida are aware that women and girl suffer from sexual abuse in public places. The total response shows that a very high level of awareness has been

shown by the respondents that women using public space are suffering from sexual harassment. 87% of total sample agrees that girls suffer from verbal abuse, 85% respondents from Delhi, 98% from Gurgaon and 95% from Noida believe that they suffer from verbal abuse, 87% from Delhi,91% from Gurgaon,97% from Noida think that women in NCR suffer from physical abuse in public places and 94% of the respondents from Delhi,97% from Gurgaon,85% from Noida believe that women in NCR are being stared at. Moreover, there does seem to be high awareness regarding existence of the three kinds of abuse. Table 13 B

Awareness about Women and Girls Suffer in NCR from Different Abuses Sl. Educational Qualification % of Respondents Total Particulars Yes No Can't say 1 Illiterate Verbal comments 83% 9% 9% 100%

Physical (touching, feeling up etc.) 84% 9% 7% 100%

Visual (staring, leering etc.) 93% 3% 4% 100%

2 Upto 12th (can read and Verbal comments 86% 8% 6% 100%

write to 12th) Physical (touching, feeling up etc.) 86% 7% 8% 100%

Visual (staring, leering etc.) 94% 3% 3% 100%

3 Graduate and Above Verbal comments 86% 8% 6% 100%

Physical (touching, feeling up etc.) 90% 6% 4% 100%

Visual (staring, leering etc.) 95% 3% 2% 100%

4 Overall Verbal comments 85% 8% 7% 100%

Physical (touching, feeling up etc.) 86% 7% 6% 100%

Visual (staring, leering etc.) 94% 3% 3% 100%

Table 13 B shows the responses of the sample in terms of level of education. Three categories were developed, namely, illiterate, up to 12th, graduate and above. As is clear from the table, there is not much difference between the three groups. On verbal comments, the 83% of illiterate, 86% of 12th pass and 86% of graduates have responded in yes to whether the community is aware that women suffer verbal abuse on the public places. Similarly in physical and visual harassment also there is high awareness as indicated by the data here. And there are only minor differences between the three groups.

Table 14

Sex Abuses Done By Whom - According to all different categories of respondents Sl. Sex abuses done by % of Respondents Yes No Women Men Stakeholder Total Women Men Stakeholder Total 1 Work Partners/ Colleague 69% 75% 74% 70% 31% 25% 26% 30%

2 Office Seniors 64% 54% 60% 63% 36% 46% 40% 37%

3 Friend 46% 59% 58% 48% 54% 41% 42% 52%

4 Teacher 39% 31% 34% 38% 61% 69% 66% 62%

5 Security guards 38% 30% 28% 36% 62% 70% 73% 64%

6 Transport employees 58% 37% 39% 55% 42% 63% 61% 45%

7 Fake sadhus or Babas 70% 58% 58% 68% 30% 42% 43% 32%

Table 14 shows seven categories of abusers on which response has been sought from men, women and stakeholders. A total of 70%, 63%,48%, 38% respondents have said yes to work partners/colleagues, office seniors, friends, and teachers respectively (work place people).36%, 55%,68% of respondents have shown agreement to security guards, transport employees, fake sadhus and babas respectively as sex abusers.

Table 15

When Sexual Assaults Happenned - According to different categories of respondents Sl. Timing % of Respondents Yes No Women Men Stakeholder Total Women Men Stakeholder Total 1 Before Dusk 33% 20% 18% 31% 67% 80% 82% 69%

2 After Dusk 42% 36% 30% 41% 58% 64% 70% 59%

3 Any time 88% 92% 88% 88% 12% 8% 12% 12%

Table 15 shows the perceived timing of sexual assault on women, an overwhelming 88% of total sample (88% women, 92%men, 88% stakeholders) has said that it can take place anytime. 41% (42% women, 36%men and 30% stakeholders) say that it takes place after dusk and 31% believe that sexual harassments take place (33%, 20%, and 18%) before dusk.

Table 16

Who came for Help of Women to Lodge Complaint - According to different categories of respondents Sl. Helpers % of Respondents Yes No Can't say Women Men Stakeholder Total Women Men Stakeholder Total Women Men Stakeholder Total 1 Family Members 92% 93% 91% 92% 5% 3% 4% 4% 4% 4% 6% 4%

2 Friend/colleague 72% 71% 51% 71% 18% 19% 33% 19% 10% 10% 16% 10%

3 Public at the spot 38% 47% 38% 39% 47% 36% 48% 45% 15% 17% 14% 15%

4 Helpline applications 34% 42% 31% 35% 48% 42% 56% 47% 18% 16% 13% 18%

5 NGO 40% 32% 34% 39% 39% 44% 55% 41% 20% 23% 11% 20%

6 Police 60% 64% 48% 59% 29% 30% 43% 30% 12% 6% 9% 11%

Table 16 shows response of the sample to the question regarding who helped women to lodge complaint. According to an overwhelming 92% (92% women, 93% men and 91% of stakeholder) women get help from family members in lodging complain, 72%(72% women,71% men 51% stakeholder)from Friend/colleague , 39%(38%, 47%, 38%) from public at spot. Helpline applications, NGO and Police were perceived to be helpful in lodging complain by 35 %( 34%42%31%), 39% (40% 32% 34%) (60%, 64%, 48%) of the respondents respectively.

Table 17

What Actions Taken in Cases of Sexual Assault - According to different categories the all respondents Sl. Actions Taken % of Respondents Yes No Can't say Women Men Stakeholder Total Women Men Stakeholder Total Women Men Stakeholder Total 1 No action 39% 33% 53% 40% 50% 54% 36% 50% 10% 13% 11% 11% 2 Strong warning 64% 67% 53% 63% 25% 24% 31% 25% 12% 9% 17% 12% 3 Abuser taken into custody 66% 67% 48% 65% 25% 27% 41% 26% 9% 5% 11% 9% 4 Public deals 23% 18% 19% 23% 58% 64% 63% 59% 19% 18% 18% 19%

Table 17 reveals the answer of the respondents on the question of nature of action taken against the abuser in case of sexual assault. There were four options. The option of abuser taken into custody was perceived by 65% of the total (66% women,67%men,48% stakeholders), Strong warning to abuser was perceived by 63% (64% women, 67%men, 53% stakeholder), public deals with the abuser 23% (23% women,18% men, 19% stakeholder), and no action was perceived by 40% total(39% women,33% men,53%stakehoder)of the respondents to be the action taken against the abuser .

Table 17A

Actions Taken in Cases of Sexual Assault - According to different categories the all respondents Sl. Actions Taken % of Respondents Yes No Can't say Delhi Gurgoan Noida Total Delhi Gurgoan Noida Total Delhi Gurgoan Noida Total 1 No action 38% 28% 73% 40% 52% 52% 25% 50% 11% 20% 3% 11% 2 Strong warning 62% 64% 76% 63% 25% 24% 20% 25% 13% 11% 3% 12% 3 Abuser taken into custody 67% 65% 37% 65% 24% 24% 60% 26% 9% 11% 2% 9% 4 Public deals 24% 15% 14% 23% 57% 60% 82% 59% 19% 26% 3% 19% Table 17A reveals the answer to the question of nature of action taken against the abuser of sexual assault. The respondents were from three locations of Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida. Abuser taken into custody, public deals with the abuser and no action were the four options which were answered by the respondents from Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida. Abuser taken into custody was perceived by 65% of the total (67% Delhi,65% from Gurgaon,37% from Noida), Strong warning to abuser was perceived by 63%(62% respondents from Delhi, 64% from Gurgaon, 76% from Noida 40% total(38% from Delhi,28% from Gurgaon,73% from Noida), ) 23%(24% from Delhi,15% Gurgaon, 14% from Noida), of the respondents to be the action taken against the abuser respectively.

Table 18

Reasons for not reporting sexual crimes - According to different categories of respondents Sl. Actions Taken % of Respondents Yes No Can't say Women Men Stakeholders Total Women Men Stakeholders Total Women Men Stakeholders Total 1 Their family should deal with it 72% 66% 54% 70% 18% 20% 29% 19% 10% 14% 16% 11%

2 Police can’t be trusted 65% 62% 49% 63% 27% 32% 39% 28% 9% 6% 12% 9%

3 Such matters are too trivial 30% 18% 14% 28% 59% 63% 71% 60% 11% 19% 16% 12%

4 Offenders may take revenge 78% 77% 74% 78% 12% 14% 14% 12% 10% 9% 12% 10%

5 It earns bad name in society 85% 92% 84% 85% 10% 6% 11% 10% 6% 2% 4% 5%

6 Wastage of time and money 51% 44% 38% 50% 34% 43% 48% 36% 15% 13% 14% 15%

7 None would believe them 54% 40% 37% 51% 29% 46% 53% 32% 17% 15% 11% 16%

Table 18 reveals the reasons for not reporting the sexual crimes as perceived by three categories of respondents, namely, men, women and stakeholders. Seven reasons have been tested. ‘It earns bad name in the society’ was perceives by 85% of the total respondents (85% women, 92% men, 84%stakeholders) to be the reason for not reporting. ‘Offenders may take revenge’ was the second most popular response at78 %( women78%, men77%, stakehollder74%).70 %( 72%, 66%,

54%) of the total respondents replied that the victims’ families should deal with the problem. Police cannot be trusted was the response of 63 %( 65%, 62%, 49%).51 %( 54%women, 40%men, 37%stakeholder) and 50 %( 51%women, 44%men, 38%stakeholder) of the respondents agreed that ‘no one would believe them’ and ‘it would be wastage of time and money.’

Table 18A Reasons for not reporting sexual crimes Sl. Actions Taken % of Respondents Yes No Can't say Delhi Gurgoan Noida Total Delhi Gurgoan Noida Total Delhi Gurgoan Noida Total 1 Their family should deal with it 70% 56% 78% 70% 18% 27% 20% 19% 11% 17% 3% 11% 2 Police can’t be trusted 65% 40% 71% 63% 27% 46% 27% 28% 9% 13% 2% 9% 3 Such matters are too trivial 31% 13% 3% 28% 58% 73% 70% 60% 11% 15% 27% 12%

4 Offenders may take revenge 77% 84% 77% 78% 12% 6% 20% 12% 11% 10% 3% 10%

5 It earns bad name in society 85% 94% 80% 85% 9% 3% 18% 10% 6% 3% 3% 5%

6 Wastage of time and money 53% 35% 28% 50% 32% 48% 69% 36% 16% 17% 3% 15%

7 None would believe them 54% 54% 23% 51% 29% 28% 75% 32% 17% 18% 2% 16%

Table 18 A reveals the reasons for not reporting the sexual crimes as perceived by three sets of respondents from three locations. Seven reasons have been tested. ‘It earns bad name in the society’ was perceived by 85% of the total respondents (85% Delhi, 94% Gurgaon, 80% Noida) to be the reason for not reporting. ‘Offenders may take revenge’ was the second most popular response at78 %( (77% Delhi, 84% Gurgaon, 77% Noida ).70 %( (70% Delhi, 56% Gurgaon, 78% Noida ) of the total respondents replied that the victims’ families should deal with the problem. Police cannot be trusted was the response of 63 %( (65% Delhi, 40% Gurgaon, 71% Noida). 51%((54% Delhi, 54% Gurgaon, 23% Noida ) of the respondents agreed that ‘no one would believe them’ and ‘it would be wastage of time and money was the response of (53% Delhi, 35% Gurgaon, 28% Noida.

Table 18B

Reasons for not reporting sexual crimes Sl. Educational Qualification Actions Taken % of Respondents Total

Yes No Can't say Illeterate Their family should deal with it 77% 9% 13% 100% 1 Police can’t be trusted 66% 27% 7% 100%

Such matters are too trivial 27% 58% 15% 100%

Offenders may take revenge 76% 13% 11% 100%

It earns bad name in society 82% 10% 7% 100%

Wastage of time and money 61% 22% 17% 100%

None would believe them 57% 25% 18% 100%

Upto 12th (can read and Their family should deal with it 72% 18% 11% 100% 2 write to 12th) Police can’t be trusted 63% 29% 9% 100% Such matters are too trivial 28% 59% 12% 100% Offenders may take revenge 79% 11% 10% 100% It earns bad name in society 86% 9% 5% 100% Wastage of time and money 50% 35% 15% 100% None would believe them 51% 32% 17% 100% Graduate and Above Their family should deal with it 65% 23% 12% 100% 3 Police can’t be trusted 63% 28% 9% 100% Such matters are too trivial 27% 61% 12% 100% Offenders may take revenge 77% 13% 10% 100% It earns bad name in society 84% 11% 5% 100% Wastage of time and money 46% 39% 14% 100% None would believe them 51% 34% 16% 100% Overall Their family should deal with it 70% 19% 11% 100% 4 Police can’t be trusted 63% 28% 9% 100% Such matters are too trivial 28% 60% 12% 100% Offenders may take revenge 78% 12% 10% 100% It earns bad name in society 85% 10% 5% 100% Wastage of time and money 50% 36% 15% 100% None would believe them 51% 32% 16% 100%

Table 18C

Reasons for not reporting sexual crimes - By Income Sl. Income Categories Actions Taken No. of Respondents Total Yes No Can't say No. % No. % No. % No. % Upto Rs. 1 Lakh Their family should deal with it 962 67% 294 20% 186 13% 1442 100% 1 Police can’t be trusted 832 58% 462 32% 148 10% 1442 100%

Such matters are too trivial 402 28% 864 60% 176 12% 1442 100%

Offenders may take revenge 1026 71% 250 17% 166 12% 1442 100%

It earns bad name in society 1232 85% 150 10% 60 4% 1442 100%

Wastage of time and money 744 52% 484 34% 214 15% 1442 100%

None would believe them 758 53% 416 29% 268 19% 1442 100%

Rs. 1-2 Lakh Their family should deal with it 760 65% 234 20% 178 15% 1172 100% 2 Police can’t be trusted 664 57% 386 33% 122 10% 1172 100% Such matters are too trivial 266 23% 782 67% 124 11% 1172 100% Offenders may take revenge 952 81% 86 7% 134 11% 1172 100% It earns bad name in society 1074 92% 58 5% 40 3% 1172 100% Wastage of time and money 610 52% 402 34% 160 14% 1172 100% None would believe them 666 57% 302 26% 204 17% 1172 100% Above 2 Lakh Their family should deal with it 759 72% 170 16% 130 12% 1059 100% 3 Police can’t be trusted 719 68% 244 23% 96 9% 1059 100% Such matters are too trivial 287 27% 648 61% 124 12% 1059 100% Offenders may take revenge 815 77% 122 12% 122 12% 1059 100% It earns bad name in society 766 72% 167 16% 126 12% 1059 100% Wastage of time and money 496 47% 285 27% 278 26% 1059 100% None would believe them 577 54% 268 25% 214 20% 1059 100% Overall Their family should deal with it 2481 68% 698 19% 494 13% 3673 100% 4 Police can’t be trusted 2215 60% 1092 30% 366 10% 3673 100% Such matters are too trivial 955 26% 2294 62% 424 12% 3673 100% Offenders may take revenge 2793 76% 458 12% 422 11% 3673 100% It earns bad name in society 3072 84% 375 10% 226 6% 3673 100% Wastage of time and money 1850 50% 1171 32% 652 18% 3673 100% None would believe them 2001 54% 986 27% 686 19% 3673 100%

Table 19

Women Faced Problems after Sexual Harassment - According to Different Categories of all Respondents Sl. Sexual harassment by becoming % of Respondents Yes No Can't say Women Men Stakeholders Total Women Men Stakeholders Total Women Men Stakeholders Total 1 Pathologically Afraid of men 86% 83% 90% 86% 7% 8% 3% 7% 7% 9% 8% 8%

2 Depressed 78% 81% 78% 78% 13% 9% 14% 13% 9% 10% 8% 9%

3 Such matters are too trivial 73% 86% 75% 75% 18% 7% 18% 17% 9% 7% 8% 8%

4 Offenders may take revenge 51% 51% 41% 51% 32% 35% 44% 33% 16% 14% 15% 16%

5 It earns bad name in society 34% 28% 28% 33% 44% 51% 51% 45% 22% 21% 21% 22%

Table 19 shows the coping behaviour of sexually harassed women. The question has tested five options. 86% ( 86%, 83%, 90%) of the total sample has agreed that sexually harassed woman would become ‘Pathologically Afraid of men ‘.That women become depressed after suffering sexual harassment was responded to by 78%(78%,81%,78%).The third option Being stigmatized was perceived by 75% (73%,86%,&75%) of the sample to result from sexual harassment. Scornful and revengeful was perceived by 51% (51%, 51%, 41%), and becoming handicapped was perceived by 33% (34%, 28%, 33%) of the sample as consequences of sexual harassment by women. Table 20 Places of Incident of Sexual Harassment - According to Different Categories of Respondents Sl. Places % of Respondents Yes No Can't say Women Men Stakeholders Total Women Men Stakeholders Total Women Men Stakeholders Total 1 Bus stops 94% 93% 95% 94% 3% 4% 1% 3% 2% 3% 4% 2% 2 Market Places 91% 85% 76% 90% 5% 10% 11% 6% 4% 5% 14% 5% 3 Public Parks 84% 85% 88% 84% 9% 8% 3% 9% 7% 7% 10% 7% 4 Metro/Railway stations 62% 66% 51% 62% 18% 17% 25% 19% 20% 17% 24% 20% 5 Taxi stands 61% 66% 46% 61% 18% 14% 26% 18% 21% 19% 28% 21% 6 Alcohol shops 72% 69% 66% 72% 14% 14% 13% 14% 14% 17% 21% 15% 7 Deserted streets 57% 69% 67% 59% 24% 16% 20% 23% 20% 14% 13% 19% 8 Grameen Seva 44% 41% 28% 42% 36% 35% 33% 36% 20% 25% 39% 22% 9 Cinema Hall 44% 49% 41% 44% 34% 23% 21% 32% 22% 29% 38% 23% 10 Construction site 44% 45% 36% 44% 26% 29% 33% 27% 29% 27% 32% 29% Table 20 shows the perceived locations of sexual harassment incidents. Out ten locations, bus stop has emerged as the most agreed upon location for sexual harassment incidents at 94% of total respondents choosing bus stop as location for sexual harassments. Closely followed by market places at 90% (91%, 85%, 76%), public parks at (84%) Alcohol shops at 72%, railway station/metro station at 62%, taxi stands at 61%, deserted streets at 59%, cinema hall, construction sites at 44% each with Grameen sewa public transport at 42%.

Table 21

Programmes Implemented by NGOs and Govt. agencies in the Area - According to Different Categories of Respondents Sl. NGOs and Govt. agencies % of Respondents Yes No Women Men Stakeholder Total Women Men Stakeholder Total 1 Empowerment of Women 71% 66% 76% 71% 29% 34% 24% 29%

2 Self - defense Training 62% 56% 70% 61% 38% 44% 30% 39%

3 Spreading awareness of laws to protect women 49% 38% 39% 47% 51% 62% 61% 53%

4 Free Legal Help to Women 35% 28% 31% 34% 65% 72% 69% 66%

5 Creating Forum for Women’s grievances 27% 20% 26% 26% 73% 80% 74% 74%

6 Popularising Gender sensitive Schemes by 32% 18% 26% 30% 68% 82% 74% 70% Police/Government

7 Creating awareness of gender equality 45% 27% 30% 42% 55% 73% 70% 58%

Table 21 shows the respondents’ awareness about Programmes Implemented by NGOs and Govt. agencies in their locality for women. 71% of the total respondents knew about Empowerment of Women programmes being held in the locality (71% of women, 66% of men and 76% of stakeholders). Self - defence Training were known to 61% of respondents out of which 62% women, 56% men and 70% were stakeholders. Spreading awareness of laws was perceived by 47% of the respondents with a breakup of 49%, women, 38% men, 39% stakeholders to be going on in their locality. Free Legal Help to Women was perceived by 34%of the sample (35% men, 28% women and 31% stakeholder). Creating forum for women’s grievances was known 26% of the total sample with 27% women, 20% men and 26% stakeholders. Popularising Gender Schemes by Police/Government was seen by30% (32% women, 18% men and, 26% stakeholders) of the sample as being done in their localities. Creating awareness of gender equality was also seen by 42% of the total sample (45% women, 27% men, 30% stakeholder) to be going on in their areas.

Table 22

Awareness of the Government Schemes - According to Different Categories of Respondents Sl. Government schemes % of Respondents Yes No Can't say Women Men Stakeholders Total Women Men Stakeholders Total Women Men Stakeholders Total 1 Emergency helpline No. 100 97% 98% 95% 97% 2% 0% 1% 1% 1% 2% 4% 1% 2 Women Helpline 1091 90% 87% 92% 89% 7% 10% 4% 7% 3% 3% 4% 3% 3 Women Commission 62% 55% 76% 62% 26% 34% 18% 27% 11% 12% 6% 11% 4 Laws made against harassment/ assault of women 38% 34% 42% 37% 51% 54% 49% 51% 12% 11% 9% 11%

5 Punishments for different offences 31% 27% 30% 30% 57% 58% 57% 57% 13% 15% 13% 13% 6 Anti-Stalking Services for women 27% 15% 24% 25% 61% 70% 66% 62% 12% 15% 11% 12% 7 Exclusive Help Desk for Women at Police Stations 40% 28% 29% 38% 46% 58% 58% 48% 14% 14% 13% 14%

8 Thana level Women Safety Committee 37% 25% 30% 35% 47% 57% 59% 49% 16% 18% 11% 16%

9 Self-defense Training Program for Women 49% 45% 69% 50% 35% 38% 21% 35% 16% 16% 10% 15% Table 22 shows the perception of the three categories of respondents, namely, men, women and stakeholders about the awareness of the Government Schemes. A total of 97% respondents were aware of Emergency helpline No. 100. 89% had heard about women helpline 1091, 62% knew about women commission, laws against harassment/assault of women were known to 37%, and 30% of the respondents knew about punishment for different offenses, 25% were aware of Anti-stalking service for women, 38% were aware of Exclusive Help Desk for Women at Police Stations, Thana level Women Safety Committee was known to 35% of the sample and 50% of the total respondents knew of Self-defence Training Program for Women.

Table 22A

Awareness of Laws Against Rape Sl. Laws % of Respondents Yes No Delhi Gurgoan Noida Total Delhi Gurgoan Noida Total 1 Of Laws against rape 59% 41% 55% 57% 41% 59% 45% 43% 2 Of Punishment against rape 60% 49% 87% 61% 40% 51% 13% 39%

3 About the provision of Death penalty for rape 39% 44% 12% 37% 61% 56% 88% 63%

4 Of punishment awarding authorities against rape 32% 34% 11% 31% 68% 66% 89% 69%

Table 22Aa shows the perception of the respondents about the awareness of the Laws against rape. A total of 57% were aware of laws against rape with a breakup of 59%, 41% and 55% of respondents from Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida respectively. 61% had heard about Punishment against rape out of which 60%were from Delhi, 49% were from Gurgaon and 87% from Noida. The provision of Death penalty for rape was known to 39%, 44% and 12% from Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida respectively. 32%, 32%, 11% respondents from Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida knew about Punishment awarding authorities against rape(31%). Table 23

Main Causes of High Sexual Harassment among Women- According to Different Categories of Respondents Sl. Causes of Sexual Harassment % of Respondents Agree Disagree Can't say Women Men Stakeholder Total Women Men Stakeholder Total Women Men Stakeholder Total 1 Reveling Dresses of women 49% 62% 52% 50% 46% 31% 41% 44% 6% 6% 8% 6% 2 Free and informal behavior of women 47% 62% 54% 49% 45% 28% 38% 43% 8% 10% 8% 8% 3 Physical inability of women to defend themselves 61% 72% 71% 63% 31% 19% 19% 29% 7% 9% 9% 8% 4 Sexual aggression in men 50% 35% 33% 47% 35% 48% 55% 38% 15% 17% 13% 15% 5 Prevailing lawlessness in the society 73% 71% 72% 73% 14% 19% 21% 15% 13% 9% 7% 12% 6 Inadequate infrastructural facilities 65% 61% 76% 65% 17% 19% 15% 17% 19% 19% 9% 18% 7 Corruption in law enforcing authorities 68% 72% 84% 69% 19% 14% 5% 18% 13% 13% 11% 13% 8 Unsympathetic Police 65% 74% 86% 68% 20% 10% 4% 18% 15% 16% 10% 15% 9 Lax and costly judicial system 64% 63% 77% 65% 16% 17% 10% 16% 20% 20% 13% 20% 10 Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders 56% 43% 53% 55% 21% 33% 32% 23% 22% 24% 15% 22% 11 Availability of pornographic materials on Mobile 84% 82% 89% 84% 6% 8% 3% 6% 10% 10% 8% 10% 12 Punishments not being severe 87% 85% 86% 86% 9% 8% 9% 9% 5% 7% 4% 5% 13 Influence of media/TV/Cinema 81% 86% 78% 81% 13% 9% 16% 13% 6% 5% 7% 6% 14 Easy access to face book, Whatsapp, Net 84% 83% 78% 83% 9% 10% 14% 10% 7% 7% 8% 7% 15 Culture of Late Night Parties 66% 83% 83% 69% 24% 10% 11% 22% 9% 7% 6% 9% Table 23 shows the main perceived causes of sexual assault on women. Fifteen causes have been tested on three points yes, no and cannot say. The responses from three sets of respondents, namely, men, women and stakeholders have been noted in terms of percentage. If we look at the total percentage, at least 47% of the respondents have seen each of the fifteen causes as instrumental in facilitating street sexual assault. Sexual aggression in men, Free and informal behaviour of women, Revealing Dresses of women, Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders

have been seen as responsible for sexual assault on public places by 47%, 49%, 50%, 55% of the total respondents respectively. These have been progressively followed by physical inability of women to defend themselves (63%), inadequate infrastructural facilities (65%), Lax and costly judicial system (65%) Unsympathetic Police (68%), Corruption in law enforcing authorities, (69%), Culture of Late Night Parties (69%), Prevailing lawlessness in the society (73%), Influence of media/TV/Cinema (81%), Easy access to face book, whatsapp, Net(83%), Availability of pornographic materials on Mobile (84%) and Punishments not being severe (86%). The score of the total sample in the table shows that punishment not being severe has been seen to be highest ranked cause(86%) followed closely by availability of pornographic material on mobile(84%), easy access to face book and net(83%).

Table 23A

Main Causes of High Sexual Harassment among Women- According to Different Categories of Respondents Sl. Causes of Sexual Harassment % of Respondents Agree Disagree Can't say Delhi Gurgoan Noida Total Delhi Gurgoan Noida Total Delhi Gurgoan Noida Total 1 Reveling Dresses of women 53% 35% 37% 50% 41% 55% 60% 44% 6% 10% 2% 6% 2 Free and informal behavior of women 49% 30% 70% 49% 43% 60% 26% 43% 8% 10% 4% 8% 3 Physical inability of women to defend themselves 61% 71% 81% 63% 31% 23% 17% 29% 8% 6% 2% 8% 4 Sexual aggression in men 49% 53% 19% 47% 35% 26% 78% 38% 16% 21% 3% 15% 5 Prevailing lawlessness in the society 73% 72% 71% 73% 15% 11% 25% 15% 12% 16% 5% 12% 6 Inadequate infrastructural facilities 63% 62% 86% 65% 18% 14% 10% 17% 19% 23% 4% 18% 7 Corruption in law enforcing authorities 66% 75% 96% 69% 20% 10% 1% 18% 14% 15% 3% 13% 8 Unsympathetic Police 64% 78% 96% 68% 20% 10% 2% 18% 16% 12% 2% 15% 9 Lax and costly judicial system 62% 66% 95% 65% 17% 14% 3% 16% 21% 20% 2% 20% 10 Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders 56% 60% 34% 55% 20% 22% 62% 23% 24% 17% 4% 22% 11 Availability of pornographic materials on Mobile 83% 83% 97% 84% 7% 8% 1% 6% 10% 8% 2% 10% 12 Punishments not being severe 85% 92% 98% 86% 10% 3% 1% 9% 5% 5% 2% 5% 13 Influence of media/TV/Cinema 82% 70% 85% 81% 12% 20% 14% 13% 6% 10% 1% 6% 14 Easy access to face book, Whatsapp, Net 84% 76% 86% 83% 9% 15% 10% 10% 7% 9% 4% 7% 15 Culture of Late Night Parties 67% 74% 94% 69% 24% 14% 4% 22% 9% 11% 2% 9%

Table 23 A shows the perception of respondents from three locations Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida for causes of sexual assault on women. Fifteen causes have been tested on three points yes, no and cannot say from the three sets of respondents. Revealing Dresses of women has been seen as the reason for sexual assault by 50% of the total sample out of which 53% of respondents from Delhi, 35% of the sample from Gurgaon and 37% from Noida perceive it as that. Free and informal behaviour of women has been seen as the reason by 49%, 30%, and 70% of the sample from the three locations respectively. Physical inability of women to defend themselves was perceived by 61%, 71%, and 81% of the sample respectively from the three locations. Sexual aggression in men 49%, 53%, 19% Prevailing lawlessness in the society73%,72%,71% , inadequate infrastructural facilities 63%, 62%, 86% and Corruption in law enforcing authorities 66%75%,96%% Unsympathetic Police 64%,78% 96% (68%), Lax and costly judicial system 62%, 66%, 95% (65%) Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders (56%60%34% availability of pornographic material on mobile83, 83%,97%(84%), punishment not being severe(85%,92%,98%) Influence of media/TV/Cinema82, 70, 85 (81%) easy access to face book and net (83%) 84, 76,86. Culture of Late Night Parties (69%) 67, 74, 94

Table 23B

Main Causes of High Sexual Harassment among Women Sl. Educational Qualification Causes of Sexual Harassment % of Respondents Total

Agree Disagree Can't say 1 Illiterate Reveling Dresses of women 58% 36% 6% 100% Free and informal behavior of women 53% 36% 11% 100% Physical inability of women to defend themselves 53% 35% 11% 100% Sexual aggression in men 50% 37% 13% 100%

Prevailing lawlessness in the society 80% 10% 10% 100% Inadequate infrastructural facilities 58% 19% 23% 100% Corruption in law enforcing authorities 57% 28% 15% 100% Unsympathetic Police 55% 25% 20% 100% Lax and costly judicial system 56% 20% 24% 100% Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders 55% 13% 31% 100%

Availability of pornographic materials on Mobile 83% 4% 13% 100% Punishments not being severe 83% 11% 6% 100%

Influence of media/TV/Cinema 78% 18% 5% 100% Easy access to face book, Whatsapp, Net 84% 6% 9% 100% Culture of Late Night Parties 59% 27% 14% 100% 2 Upto 12th (can read and write Reveling Dresses of women 54% 41% 5% 100% to 12th) Free and informal behavior of women 53% 39% 8% 100% Physical inability of women to defend themselves 69% 24% 7% 100%

Sexual aggression in men 46% 38% 16% 100% Prevailing lawlessness in the society 71% 15% 14% 100%

Inadequate infrastructural facilities 62% 18% 20% 100%

Corruption in law enforcing authorities 69% 16% 14% 100% Unsympathetic Police 67% 18% 16% 100%

Lax and costly judicial system 63% 15% 22% 100% Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders 52% 23% 25% 100%

Availability of pornographic materials on Mobile 85% 6% 9% 100%

Punishments not being severe 86% 9% 5% 100% Influence of media/TV/Cinema 83% 12% 5% 100% Easy access to face book, Whatsapp, Net 85% 8% 7% 100% Culture of Late Night Parties 73% 19% 9% 100% 3 Graduate and Above Reveling Dresses of women 43% 50% 7% 100% Free and informal behavior of women 42% 51% 8% 100% Physical inability of women to defend themselves 56% 36% 9% 100% Sexual aggression in men 49% 38% 13% 100% Prevailing lawlessness in the society 74% 17% 9% 100% Inadequate infrastructural facilities 70% 15% 15% 100% Corruption in law enforcing authorities 71% 18% 10% 100% Unsympathetic Police 72% 17% 12% 100% Lax and costly judicial system 68% 16% 15% 100% Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders 59% 25% 16% 100%

Availability of pornographic materials on Mobile 83% 7% 10% 100%

Punishments not being severe 88% 7% 5% 100% Influence of media/TV/Cinema 80% 13% 7% 100% Easy access to face book, Whatsapp, Net 80% 13% 7% 100% Culture of Late Night Parties 66% 26% 8% 100% 4 Overall Reveling Dresses of women 50% 44% 6% 100% Free and informal behavior of women 49% 43% 8% 100% Physical inability of women to defend themselves 63% 29% 8% 100%

Sexual aggression in men 47% 38% 15% 100% Prevailing lawlessness in the society 73% 15% 12% 100% Inadequate infrastructural facilities 65% 17% 18% 100% Corruption in law enforcing authorities 69% 18% 13% 100% Unsympathetic Police 68% 18% 15% 100% Lax and costly judicial system 65% 16% 20% 100% Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders 55% 23% 22% 100%

Availability of pornographic materials on Mobile 84% 6% 10% 100%

Punishments not being severe 86% 9% 5% 100% Influence of media/TV/Cinema 81% 13% 6% 100% Easy access to face book, Whatsapp, Net 83% 10% 7% 100% Culture of Late Night Parties 69% 22% 9% 100%

Table 23C

Main Causes of High Sexual Harassment among Women Sl. Income Categories Causes of Sexual Harassment No. of Respondents Total Agree Disagree Can't say No. % No. % No. % No. % 1 Upto Rs. 1 Lakh Reveling Dresses of women 630 44% 708 49% 104 7% 1442 100% Free and informal behavior of women 532 37% 770 53% 140 10% 1442 100% Physical inability of women to defend themselves 766 53% 550 38% 126 9% 1442 100% Sexual aggression in men 714 50% 480 33% 248 17% 1442 100% Prevailing lawlessness in the society 1060 74% 192 13% 190 13% 1442 100% Inadequate infrastructural facilities 844 59% 296 21% 302 21% 1442 100% Corruption in law enforcing authorities 864 60% 354 25% 224 16% 1442 100% Unsympathetic Police 856 59% 346 24% 240 17% 1442 100%

Lax and costly judicial system 856 59% 228 16% 358 25% 1442 100% Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders 810 56% 254 18% 378 26% 1442 100%

Availability of pornographic materials on Mobile 1132 79% 108 7% 202 14% 1442 100% Punishments not being severe 1202 83% 142 10% 98 7% 1442 100% Influence of media/TV/Cinema 1114 77% 236 16% 92 6% 1442 100%

Easy access to face book, Whatsapp, Net 1200 83% 114 8% 128 9% 1442 100% Culture of Late Night Parties 936 65% 376 26% 130 9% 1442 100% 2 Rs. 1-2 Lakh Reveling Dresses of women 618 53% 474 40% 80 7% 1172 100% Free and informal behavior of women 552 47% 506 43% 114 10% 1172 100%

Physical inability of women to defend themselves 776 66% 286 24% 110 9% 1172 100% Sexual aggression in men 546 47% 440 38% 186 16% 1172 100%

Prevailing lawlessness in the society 846 72% 174 15% 152 13% 1172 100% Inadequate infrastructural facilities 688 59% 222 19% 262 22% 1172 100%

Corruption in law enforcing authorities 782 67% 202 17% 188 16% 1172 100% Unsympathetic Police 792 68% 158 13% 222 19% 1172 100%

Lax and costly judicial system 666 57% 190 16% 316 27% 1172 100%

Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders 632 54% 182 16% 358 31% 1172 100% Availability of pornographic materials on Mobile 982 84% 102 9% 88 8% 1172 100%

Punishments not being severe 984 84% 142 12% 46 4% 1172 100%

Influence of media/TV/Cinema 982 84% 136 12% 54 5% 1172 100% Easy access to face book, Whatsapp, Net 994 85% 112 10% 66 6% 1172 100% Culture of Late Night Parties 864 74% 198 17% 110 9% 1172 100% 3 Above 2 Lakh Reveling Dresses of women 432 41% 565 53% 62 6% 1059 100% Free and informal behavior of women 418 39% 563 53% 78 7% 1059 100% Physical inability of women to defend themselves 561 53% 412 39% 86 8% 1059 100% Sexual aggression in men 629 59% 284 27% 146 14% 1059 100% Prevailing lawlessness in the society 879 83% 98 9% 82 8% 1059 100% Inadequate infrastructural facilities 753 71% 150 14% 156 15% 1059 100% Corruption in law enforcing authorities 713 67% 240 23% 106 10% 1059 100% Unsympathetic Police 637 60% 282 27% 140 13% 1059 100% Lax and costly judicial system 671 63% 216 20% 172 16% 1059 100% Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders 753 71% 152 14% 154 15% 1059 100%

Availability of pornographic materials on Mobile 899 85% 56 5% 104 10% 1059 100%

Punishments not being severe 915 86% 94 9% 50 5% 1059 100%

Influence of media/TV/Cinema 886 84% 107 10% 66 6% 1059 100% Easy access to face book, Whatsapp, Net 894 84% 92 9% 73 7% 1059 100% Culture of Late Night Parties 568 54% 391 37% 100 9% 1059 100% 4 Overall Reveling Dresses of women 1680 46% 1747 48% 246 7% 3673 100% Free and informal behavior of women 1502 41% 1839 50% 332 9% 3673 100% Physical inability of women to defend themselves 2103 57% 1248 34% 322 9% 3673 100% Sexual aggression in men 1889 51% 1204 33% 580 16% 3673 100%

Prevailing lawlessness in the society 2785 76% 464 13% 424 12% 3673 100% Inadequate infrastructural facilities 2285 62% 668 18% 720 20% 3673 100% Corruption in law enforcing authorities 2359 64% 796 22% 518 14% 3673 100% Unsympathetic Police 2285 62% 786 21% 602 16% 3673 100% Lax and costly judicial system 2193 60% 634 17% 846 23% 3673 100% Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders 2195 60% 588 16% 890 24% 3673 100%

Availability of pornographic materials on Mobile 3013 82% 266 7% 394 11% 3673 100%

Punishments not being severe 3101 84% 378 10% 194 5% 3673 100%

Influence of media/TV/Cinema 2982 81% 479 13% 212 6% 3673 100% Easy access to face book, Whatsapp, Net 3088 84% 318 9% 267 7% 3673 100% Culture of Late Night Parties 2368 64% 965 26% 340 9% 3673 100%

Table 24

Age Group of Sex Offenders - According to Different Categories of Respondents Sl. Age Group % of Respondents Yes No Women Men Stakeholder Total Women Men Stakeholders Total 1 18 years & below 67% 52% 52% 64% 33% 48% 48% 36% 2 19-25 years 87% 84% 85% 86% 13% 16% 15% 14%

3 25-50 years 78% 79% 83% 78% 22% 21% 18% 22%

4 Above 50 years 20% 17% 23% 20% 80% 83% 77% 80%

Table 25

Economic Background of Sex offenders - According to Different Categories of Respondents Sl. Socio Economic Background % of Respondents Yes No Women Men Stakeholder Total Women Men Stakeholder Total 1 Lower Socio Economic background 74% 59% 59% 72% 26% 41% 41% 28% 2 Middle Socio Economic background 66% 55% 54% 64% 34% 45% 46% 36%

3 Higher Socio Economic background 66% 66% 79% 67% 34% 34% 21% 33%

Table 24 and table 25 show the perceived age and socio -economic background of the sex offenders respectively. Maximum number of respondents, i.e., 86% thought that offenders were from age group of 19-25. 78% of respondents thought that the offenders belonged to 25-50 age range. 64% of respondents thought offenders were 18 years of age or even less. Only 20% perceived the perpetrators to be over fifty age group. Table 25 shows the perceived socio -economic background of the sex offenders. 72% of the respondents perceived them to be from lower socio economic background.67% and 64% of the respondents perceived the offenders to be from middle and higher socio economic strata of the society. Table 26

Most Vulnerable Women for Sexual Assault in NCR - According to Different Categories Respondents Sl. Vulnerable Women % of Respondents Yes No Can't say Women Men Stakeholders Total Women Men Stakeholders Total Women Men Stakeholders Total 1 Who are uunprotected women 90% 87% 89% 89% 4% 7% 5% 5% 6% 6% 6% 6% 2 Who are working Women 87% 79% 63% 84% 5% 5% 8% 5% 9% 16% 29% 11% 3 Who are women working in night shift 88% 87% 85% 87% 6% 6% 4% 6% 6% 8% 11% 6% 4 Who are Homeless Women/ girls living in streets 75% 72% 58% 73% 11% 9% 8% 11% 14% 19% 34% 16% 5 Who are Migrant Women not speaking local language 70% 57% 49% 68% 11% 10% 6% 10% 19% 33% 45% 22% 6 Who are differently abled 60% 45% 43% 57% 22% 39% 39% 25% 18% 15% 19% 18% 7 Who are Domestic helps 75% 68% 58% 73% 8% 10% 8% 9% 17% 22% 34% 19% 8 Who are Daily wage earners 73% 68% 49% 71% 10% 8% 5% 9% 17% 24% 46% 20% 9 Who are Students 89% 89% 89% 89% 4% 5% 2% 4% 7% 5% 9% 7% 10 Alcohol Users 81% 85% 88% 82% 8% 7% 5% 7% 11% 8% 7% 10%

Table 26 shows the percent of women who are vulnerable for sexual assault as perceived by our respondents. 89% of respondents perceived unprotected women as well as students to be most vulnerable for sexual assault. Closely following was the category of women working in night shift who were perceived by 87% of the sample to be vulnerable for attack. Working women category was perceived as susceptible to sexual harassment by 84% of the respondents. Alcohol Users were seen by 82% of the sample to be vulnerable for attack. The category of homeless women//girls living on streets who were perceived by 73% of the sample to be vulnerable for attack. Migrant Women not speaking local language were perceived at 68% of the total respondents to be susceptible for sexual assault. Domestic helps and Daily wage earners were perceived by 73% and 71% of the sample to be vulnerable for attack respectively. Differently able were perceived by 57% of the sample to be vulnerable for attack.

Table 27

Women Respond in Cases of Sexual Assault - According to Different Categories of All Respondents Sl. Responds % of Respondents Yes No Can't say Women Men Stakeholders Total Women Men Stakeholders Total Women Men Stakeholders Total 1 By tolerating the humiliation 80% 80% 77% 80% 12% 14% 16% 12% 8% 6% 8% 8% 2 By avoiding to report 77% 77% 75% 77% 16% 17% 16% 16% 7% 6% 9% 7% 3 By using self-defense techniques 62% 57% 65% 62% 25% 24% 21% 24% 13% 19% 14% 14% 4 By seeking help from neighborhood 53% 58% 40% 53% 33% 27% 39% 33% 14% 15% 21% 14%

5 By taking help from law enforcing agencies 52% 47% 41% 51% 31% 38% 45% 33% 16% 15% 14% 16% 6 By involving family & friends 72% 71% 52% 70% 17% 15% 24% 17% 11% 14% 24% 12%

7 By stopping to move out alone 58% 63% 57% 59% 33% 25% 29% 32% 9% 12% 14% 10% 8 By shouting for help 81% 87% 88% 82% 13% 4% 4% 11% 7% 9% 9% 7% 9 By using mobile phones 85% 89% 86% 86% 8% 5% 7% 7% 7% 6% 7% 7%

Table27 show the perceived responses of the sample to sexual assault by the men, women and stakeholders. Tables 27 A, B, C show the responses from the three from locations, education and income respectively. And Table 27 shows responses of the total sample. There are nine dimensions on which the responses have been collected. 80% of the total sample claims to respond by tolerating the harassment, 77% claim that they avoid reporting, 62%) say that they respond by using self- 92

defence techniques. By seeking help from neighbourhood (53%). By taking help from law enforcing agencies (51%). By involving family & friends (70%) By stopping to move out alone (59%), by shouting for help (82%), by using mobile phones (86%) were the other responses on which the data has been collected.

Table 27A

Women Respond in Cases of Sexual Assault - According to Different Categories of All Respondents

Sl. Responds % of Respondents Yes No Can't say Delhi Gurgoan Noida Total Delhi Gurgoan Noida Total Delhi Gurgoan Noida Total 1 By tolerating the humiliation 81% 71% 84% 80% 11% 22% 14% 12% 8% 6% 1% 8% 2 By avoiding to report 77% 73% 82% 77% 16% 22% 17% 16% 8% 5% 2% 7% 3 By using self-defense techniques 63% 61% 49% 62% 23% 22% 50% 24% 14% 17% 1% 14% 4 By seeking help from neighborhood 52% 37% 70% 53% 33% 44% 23% 33% 15% 19% 7% 14%

5 By taking help from law enforcing agencies 53% 46% 30% 51% 31% 31% 62% 33% 16% 23% 8% 16%

6 By involving family & friends 71% 61% 75% 70% 16% 29% 16% 17% 13% 10% 9% 12%

7 By stopping to move out alone 57% 66% 72% 59% 33% 26% 21% 32% 10% 8% 6% 10% 8 By shouting for help 81% 78% 97% 82% 12% 11% 1% 11% 7% 11% 2% 7% 9 By using mobile phones 86% 83% 92% 86% 8% 7% 7% 7% 7% 10% 1% 7%

The table 27A shows the percentage of yes/ no and cannot say responses to the nine factors for Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida separately as well as totally. There is high agreement on all the factors among the respondents. On each factor the total agreement percentage is above 53%. By tolerating the humiliation was the response perceived to be the strategy to be used by 81% ,71,% and 84% of the respondents for Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida respectively. By avoiding to report was the response of the respondents from Delhi (77%), Gurgaon(73%) and Noida (82%) respectively 77% (total). By using self-defence techniques was the response of 63%,61% and 49%. of respondents from Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida respectively. For Gurgaon 37% feel that women would take help from neighbourhood whereas 70 % respondents from Noida and 53% from Delhi say women would seek help from neighbourhood. 70% of the respondents said that women would respond in the case of sexual assault by involving family and friends with 71% from Delhi, 61% from Gurgaon and 75% from Noida. By stopping to move out alone was perceived by 57% of Delhiits , 66%, of Gurgaon residents, and 72% of Noida respondents. By shouting for help was perceived by 81% (Delhi), 78% (Gurgaon), 97% (Noida) and 82%(total) as the response to sexual assault by women. By using mobile phones was perceived by

86% (Delhi) 83% from(Gurgaon) and 92 from Noida respondents. By taking help from law enforcing agencies was the response of 53%, 46%, and 30% of respondents from Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida respectively.

Table 27B

Women Respond in Cases of Sexual Assault Sl. Educational Qualification Responds % of Respondents Total

Yes No Can't say 1 Illeterate By tolerating the humiliation 79% 10% 10% 100% By avoiding to report 68% 23% 9% 100% By using self-defense techniques 62% 22% 16% 100% By seeking help from neighborhood 55% 33% 12% 100%

By taking help from law enforcing agencies 52% 26% 22% 100%

By involving family & friends 72% 17% 12% 100%

By stopping to move out alone 46% 46% 8% 100% By shouting for help 75% 18% 8% 100% By using mobile phones 87% 7% 7% 100% 2 Upto 12th (can read and write to By tolerating the humiliation 79% 13% 8% 100% 12th) By avoiding to report 77% 15% 7% 100% By using self-defense techniques 61% 26% 13% 100% By seeking help from neighborhood 54% 30% 16% 100% By taking help from law enforcing agencies 50% 34% 17% 100% By involving family & friends 71% 15% 14% 100%

By stopping to move out alone 62% 28% 10% 100% By shouting for help 82% 11% 7% 100% By using mobile phones 86% 7% 7% 100% 3 Graduate and Above By tolerating the humiliation 81% 12% 7% 100% By avoiding to report 78% 16% 6% 100% By using self-defense techniques 64% 22% 14% 100% By seeking help from neighborhood 50% 37% 13% 100% By taking help from law enforcing agencies 53% 33% 15% 100% By involving family & friends 69% 20% 11% 100%

By stopping to move out alone 56% 34% 10% 100% By shouting for help 83% 10% 8% 100% By using mobile phones 86% 8% 6% 100% 4 Overall By tolerating the humiliation 80% 12% 8% 100% By avoiding to report 77% 16% 7% 100% By using self-defense techniques 62% 24% 14% 100% By seeking help from neighborhood 53% 33% 14% 100% By taking help from law enforcing agencies 51% 33% 16% 100% By involving family & friends 70% 17% 12% 100% By stopping to move out alone 59% 31% 10% 100% By shouting for help 82% 11% 7% 100% By using mobile phones 86% 7% 7% 100%

Table 27C

Women Respond in Cases of Sexual Assault Sl. Educational Qualification Responds No. of Respondents Total Yes No Can't say No. % No. % No. % No. % 1 Upto Rs. 1 Lakh By tolerating the humiliation 1142 79% 190 13% 110 8% 1442 100% By avoiding to report 1108 77% 248 17% 86 6% 1442 100% By using self-defense techniques 870 60% 376 26% 196 14% 1442 100% By seeking help from neighborhood 766 53% 514 36% 162 11% 1442 100%

By taking help from law enforcing agencies 810 56% 406 28% 226 16% 1442 100%

By involving family & friends 1070 74% 236 16% 136 9% 1442 100%

By stopping to move out alone 802 56% 514 36% 126 9% 1442 100% By shouting for help 1096 76% 222 15% 124 9% 1442 100% By using mobile phones 1168 81% 154 11% 120 8% 1442 100% 2 Rs. 1-2 Lakh By tolerating the humiliation 852 73% 210 18% 110 9% 1172 100%

By avoiding to report 830 71% 230 20% 112 10% 1172 100% By using self-defense techniques 718 61% 270 23% 184 16% 1172 100% By seeking help from neighborhood 600 51% 400 34% 172 15% 1172 100% By taking help from law enforcing agencies 558 48% 376 32% 238 20% 1172 100% By involving family & friends 792 68% 208 18% 172 15% 1172 100%

By stopping to move out alone 728 62% 340 29% 104 9% 1172 100% By shouting for help 964 82% 120 10% 88 8% 1172 100% By using mobile phones 1024 87% 80 7% 68 6% 1172 100% 3 Above 2 Lakh By tolerating the humiliation 803 76% 146 14% 110 10% 1059 100% By avoiding to report 747 71% 218 21% 94 9% 1059 100% By using self-defense techniques 644 61% 269 25% 146 14% 1059 100% By seeking help from neighborhood 612 58% 304 29% 143 14% 1059 100% By taking help from law enforcing agencies 704 66% 181 17% 174 16% 1059 100% By involving family & friends 809 76% 132 12% 118 11% 1059 100%

By stopping to move out alone 535 51% 424 40% 100 9% 1059 100% By shouting for help 908 86% 89 8% 62 6% 1059 100% By using mobile phones 939 89% 52 5% 68 6% 1059 100% 4 Overall By tolerating the humiliation 2797 76% 546 15% 330 9% 3673 100% By avoiding to report 2685 73% 696 19% 292 8% 3673 100% By using self-defense techniques 2232 61% 915 25% 526 14% 3673 100% By seeking help from neighborhood 1978 54% 1218 33% 477 13% 3673 100% By taking help from law enforcing agencies 2072 56% 963 26% 638 17% 3673 100% By involving family & friends 2671 73% 576 16% 426 12% 3673 100% By stopping to move out alone 2065 56% 1278 35% 330 9% 3673 100% By shouting for help 2968 81% 431 12% 274 7% 3673 100% By using mobile phones 3131 85% 286 8% 256 7% 3673 100%

Table 28

IMPORTANT FACTORS THAT ENHANCES WOMEN'S SAFETY IN PUBLIC PLACES - According to Different Categories of Respondents Sl. FACTORS % of Respondents Yes No Can't say Women Men Stakeholder Total Women Men Stakeholder Total Women Men Stakeholder Total 1 Parks/ Streets are well lit 91% 95% 94% 92% 5% 2% 3% 4% 4% 4% 3% 4% 2 Parks/ streets are well guarded 88% 94% 92% 89% 7% 3% 4% 6% 5% 4% 4% 5% 3 Crowded Buses/Stations are under constant Camera surveillance 96% 96% 96% 96% 1% 1% 1% 1% 2% 3% 3% 2% 4 Public toilets are clean and guarded 92% 95% 96% 93% 5% 3% 1% 4% 3% 3% 4% 3%

5 Parks/ Public places are frequently patrolled 89% 95% 94% 90% 6% 2% 1% 5% 5% 3% 5% 4% 6 Legal punishments are made harsher 92% 96% 94% 93% 6% 2% 2% 5% 2% 1% 4% 2% 7 Judicial disposals are quicker 88% 94% 94% 89% 7% 2% 3% 6% 5% 4% 3% 5% 8 Mahila police gets greater role in patrolling 83% 96% 94% 85% 13% 2% 1% 11% 5% 2% 5% 4% 9 Women are encourage to carry pepper spray/ safety pins etc. 94% 96% 93% 94% 2% 3% 3% 2% 5% 1% 4% 4%

Table 28A The Table 28 A shows the percentage of yes/ no and cannot say responses to the important factors that enhance women's safety in public places for Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida separately as well as totally. Nine factors have been tested. Crowded buses/Stations should be under constant camera surveillance was the response of (96% of the total sample.) Parks and public places should be well lit (93%) and well guarded (91%), frequently patrolled (90%) public toilet should be clean and guarded (90%) Legal punishments should be made harsher (94%), Judicial disposals are quicker (92%), Mahila police should get greater role in patrolling (91%), Women should be encouraged to carry pepper spray/ safety pins etc (94%) were the response

of the total sample. Only 1% of the sample did not agree that crowded buses should have continuous camera surveillance and 2% said the women need not carry pepper spray etc. Moreover, there was not much difference in the responses of the three categories, men, women and stakeholders. All had similar views.

Table 28B

IMPORTANT FACTORS THAT ENHANCES WOMEN'S SAFETY IN PUBLIC PLACES Sl. Educational Qualification FACTORS % of Respondents Total

Yes No Can't say 1 Illeterate Parks/ Streets are well lit 94% 2% 4% 100% Parks/ streets are well guarded 92% 3% 5% 100% Crowded Buses/Stations are under constant Camera surveillance 94% 2% 5% 100% Public toilets are clean and guarded 94% 4% 2% 100% Parks/ Public places are frequently patrolled 90% 7% 4% 100% Legal punishments are made harsher 88% 10% 2% 100% Judicial disposals are quicker 78% 13% 9% 100% Mahila police gets greater role in patrolling 73% 20% 7% 100% Women are encourage to carry pepper spray/ safety pins etc. 89% 4% 8% 100% 2 Upto 12th (can read and Parks/ Streets are well lit 92% 4% 4% 100% write to 12th) Parks/ streets are well guarded 89% 6% 5% 100% Crowded Buses/Stations are under constant Camera surveillance 96% 1% 3% 100% Public toilets are clean and guarded 93% 4% 3% 100% Parks/ Public places are frequently patrolled 91% 5% 4% 100% Legal punishments are made harsher 93% 5% 2% 100% Judicial disposals are quicker 90% 5% 5% 100% Mahila police gets greater role in patrolling 87% 9% 5% 100% Women are encourage to carry pepper spray/ safety pins etc. 93% 2% 5% 100% 3 Graduate and Above Parks/ Streets are well lit 91% 5% 4% 100% Parks/ streets are well guarded 88% 7% 5% 100% Crowded Buses/Stations are under constant Camera surveillance 98% 1% 2% 100% Public toilets are clean and guarded 92% 6% 2% 100% Parks/ Public places are frequently patrolled 89% 6% 5% 100% Legal punishments are made harsher 93% 5% 2% 100% Judicial disposals are quicker 90% 6% 4% 100% Mahila police gets greater role in patrolling 84% 12% 4% 100% Women are encourage to carry pepper spray/ safety pins etc. 96% 2% 3% 100% 4 Overall Parks/ Streets are well lit 92% 4% 4% 100% Parks/ streets are well guarded 89% 6% 5% 100% Crowded Buses/Stations are under constant Camera surveillance 96% 1% 2% 100% Public toilets are clean and guarded 93% 4% 3% 100% Parks/ Public places are frequently patrolled 90% 5% 4% 100% Legal punishments are made harsher 93% 5% 2% 100% Judicial disposals are quicker 89% 6% 5% 100% Mahila police gets greater role in patrolling 85% 11% 4% 100% Women are encourage to carry pepper spray/ safety pins etc. 94% 2% 4% 100%

Table 28C

IMPORTANT FACTORS THAT ENHANCES WOMEN'S SAFETY IN PUBLIC PLACES Sl. Income Categories FACTORS No. of Respondents Total Yes No Can't say No. % No. % No. % No. % 1 Upto Rs. 1 Lakh Parks/ Streets are well lit 1304 90% 72 5% 66 5% 1442 100% Parks/ streets are well guarded 1268 88% 100 7% 74 5% 1442 100% Crowded Buses/Stations are under constant Camera surveillance 1372 95% 24 2% 46 3% 1442 100% Public toilets are clean and guarded 1276 88% 120 8% 46 3% 1442 100% Parks/ Public places are frequently patrolled 1254 87% 116 8% 72 5% 1442 100% Legal punishments are made harsher 1250 87% 144 10% 48 3% 1442 100% Judicial disposals are quicker 1242 86% 120 8% 80 6% 1442 100% Mahila police gets greater role in patrolling 1078 75% 288 20% 76 5% 1442 100% Women are encourage to carry pepper spray/ safety pins etc. 1338 93% 36 2% 68 5% 1442 100% 2 Rs. 1-2 Lakh Parks/ Streets are well lit 1074 92% 44 4% 54 5% 1172 100% Parks/ streets are well guarded 1052 90% 50 4% 70 6% 1172 100% Crowded Buses/Stations are under constant Camera surveillance 1124 96% 18 2% 30 3% 1172 100% Public toilets are clean and guarded 1096 94% 48 4% 28 2% 1172 100% Parks/ Public places are frequently patrolled 1068 91% 54 5% 50 4% 1172 100% Legal punishments are made harsher 1094 93% 52 4% 26 2% 1172 100% Judicial disposals are quicker 1060 90% 50 4% 62 5% 1172 100% Mahila police gets greater role in patrolling 1042 89% 78 7% 52 4% 1172 100% Women are encourage to carry pepper spray/ safety pins etc. 1070 91% 26 2% 76 6% 1172 100% 3 Above 2 Lakh Parks/ Streets are well lit 981 93% 36 3% 42 4% 1059 100% Parks/ streets are well guarded 963 91% 46 4% 50 5% 1059 100% Crowded Buses/Stations are under constant Camera surveillance 1013 96% 12 1% 34 3% 1059 100% Public toilets are clean and guarded 991 94% 32 3% 36 3% 1059 100% Parks/ Public places are frequently patrolled 937 88% 80 8% 42 4% 1059 100% Legal punishments are made harsher 983 93% 58 5% 18 2% 1059 100% Judicial disposals are quicker 923 87% 104 10% 32 3% 1059 100% Mahila police gets greater role in patrolling 873 82% 152 14% 34 3% 1059 100% Women are encourage to carry pepper spray/ safety pins etc. 1019 96% 16 2% 24 2% 1059 100% 4 Overall Parks/ Streets are well lit 3359 91% 152 4% 162 4% 3673 100% Parks/ streets are well guarded 3283 89% 196 5% 194 5% 3673 100% Crowded Buses/Stations are under constant Camera surveillance 3509 96% 54 1% 110 3% 3673 100% Public toilets are clean and guarded 3363 92% 200 5% 110 3% 3673 100% Parks/ Public places are frequently patrolled 3259 89% 250 7% 164 4% 3673 100% Legal punishments are made harsher 3327 91% 254 7% 92 3% 3673 100% Judicial disposals are quicker 3225 88% 274 7% 174 5% 3673 100% Mahila police gets greater role in patrolling 2993 81% 518 14% 162 4% 3673 100% Women are encourage to carry pepper spray/ safety pins etc. 3427 93% 78 2% 168 5% 3673 100%

II.Qualitative findings The following field report is based on the field visit of the investigators of this study. Investigation Supervisors Views: About the perpetrators: Mainly youngsters were found to be indulging in assaulting women/girls. Maximum comments directed to women/girls came from unemployed local newly rich youth with low education who loiter and waste their time on roads. They operate mostly in groups and use ganja and beer. Local Gujars from Noida and Gurgaon were found to be most violent. Most of the offenders were original domiciles. Some migrant men, under the guidance and support of original domiciles also participated in teasing act. The migrants from Eastern UP, Bihar, Bengal, Nepal and M.P. emerge as greatest sufferers. Maximum exploitation was reported by employers and senior executives in factories and offices for temporary/daily wage women workers. The jobs of women who yield are able to continue whereas those who resist are terminated from the jobs. About location and time Maximum incidents take place in and around urbanized villages, slum settlements ( like Masoodpur), new settlement areas where migrant population dwells and also areas with very thick population density. While incidences of harassment are reported from every place, incidences of assault mostly occur at crowded spaces. Sexual harassments can take place anytime; however, most cases of assault occur during afternoons and nights. Most unprotected public space was found to be within buses. Bus staffs, namely, conductors and drivers of public transport try to allure and take advantage of the travelling women and girls. Mostly students and working women are the sufferers and cases of sexual assault are rampant with the women/girls who travel in buses. Inside buses people who try to touch inappropriately are mostly aged upto fifty and more. They were also found to be mostly recalcitrant and in civic. Most unsafe place have been reported as unlit streets and also while getting down from bus. Metro was found to be safer because of the special provision for ladies compartments. Self defence trainings are given in district offices of ICDS for three days in a week without asking for any costs. Some privately run schools also offer self-defence training to girl students All women whether provocatively or simply dressed are highly teased. Most men think that advanced looking women are desirous to flirt and can be trapped. The women of

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original domicile families wear traditional dresses while the migrants wear modern dresses. Women tenants are most harassed. Girls/women from lower financial strata are frightened of sitting at home as when the family elders have gone to work, the intruders come and assault them and the victims are afraid of informing the family of the incidents for the fear of consequences. The victims do not trust Police. Construction workers/ Domestic helps do not complain because they stay within the confines of their own clusters and they desist from complaining because a) they are financially very weak, b) they are afraid of police for not having proper documents, and c) loss of income if they have to spend time in courts and police stations d) for fear of being asked very insulting questions) fear of perpetrators and as there is no special protection given to complainant. Similarly, sexual harassment cases are not disclosed to family member for fear of their picking fights. Women do not share their grief out of shame. In case of complaints, police claim, “It is very normal and common. How many people shall we book?” Police start alleging women/girls for provoking teasers to act.

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CHAPTER 5

DISCUSSIONS

Following objectives were tested in the study:  To identify most rampant causes of sexual harassment perceived by women.  To determine the most important factors that enhances common women’s safety in public places.  To discern women’s responses in cases of violence against them.  To find feasibilities of women’s access to Police and other governing agencies.  To find the level of awareness regarding laws concerning rapes and its punishments among women and men.  To enlist gender sensitive activities in communities, particularly low income group persons, for improving gender sensitive relationship  Apart from the above specific objectives, some other questions were asked to set the tone of the research. 1. Whether women feel safe in NCR /whether community is aware that women suffer sexual abuse in public. First of all it was tested whether women feel safe in NCR and whether the community knows about it. Table 12 shows response to question whether a woman feels safe in travelling inside NCR. Only11% of women, 12 % of men and 11 % of stakeholders have said that they

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think that women feel safe while travelling in NCR. While 82 % of women, 78 % of men and 83 % of stakeholders have said that women do not feel safe while travelling in NCR. 7% of women and 7% stakeholders claim they cannot say and similarly 10% of men cannot say. So if we look at the total score we find that an overwhelming percentage 81% of respondents have said that women feel unsafe while travelling in NCR, while 11% feel that women feel safe while travelling in NCR and 8% feel that they cannot comment on this matter. Majority of respondents said that women feel unsafe while travelling in NCR. Table 13 reveals whether respondents are aware that women and girl suffer from sexual abuse in public places. The total response shows that a very high level of awareness has been shown by the respondents that women using public space are suffering from sexual harassment. 87% of total sample agrees that girls suffer from verbal abuse, 88% believe that they suffer from physical abuse and 94% that they are being stared at. Moreover, there does not seem to be much difference between the male and female as well as stakeholder response in terms of their awareness regarding existence of the three kinds of abuse.

The literature review has shown similar findings. Newspaper and TV reports show daily reports of sexual crimes against women .Gender right activists and NGOs in Delhi, strongly plead that ‘women in Delhi are far from ‘feeling safe’ while travelling in the City. The following objectives were tested: 1. To identify most rampant causes of sexual harassment perceived by women. Question no 23 was designed to examine the perceived causes of sexual harassment of women in public places. Fifteen dimensions picked out from literature and newspapers/media reports which have been commonly perceived as the reasons behind the street sexual harassment of women, were used to solicit responses from the respondents. Table 23 and 23A reveal the responses of women, men and stakeholders as well as of the respondents from three locations of Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida together and separately too. At least 47% of the respondents have seen each of the fifteen causes as instrumental in facilitating street sexual assault. Punishment not being severe has been seen to be highest ranked cause (86%)

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followed closely by availability of pornographic material on mobile (84%), easy access to face book and net (83%). Influence of media/TV/Cinema (81%), Prevailing lawlessness in the society (73%), Corruption in law enforcing authorities, (69%), Culture of Late Night Parties (69%), Unsympathetic Police (68%), inadequate infrastructural facilities (65%), Lax and costly judicial system (65%), physical inability of women to defend themselves (63%),%. 55% of sample believes that Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders. Revealing Dresses of women by 50%, Free and informal behaviour of women by 49% and Sexual aggression in men by 47% of the sample to be the reason behind sexual harassment. Table 23 A shows the breakup of percentage of perception of respondents from three locations Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida for causes of sexual assault on women. Revealing Dresses of women has been seen as the reason for sexual assault by 53% of respondents from Delhi, 35% of the sample from Gurgaon and 37% from Noida perceive it as that. Free and informal behaviour of women has been seen as the reason by 49%, 30%, and 70% of the sample from the three locations respectively. Physical inability of women to defend themselves has been perceived as the factor behind sexual harassment from respondents from Delhi 61%, Gurgaon (71%), Noida (81%). Sexual aggression in men (49%, 53%, 19%) Prevailing lawlessness in the society (73%, 72%, 71%), inadequate infrastructural facilities (63%,62%,86%). Corruption in law enforcing authorities (66%75%, 96 %%), Unsympathetic Police (64%,78% 96%), Lax and costly judicial system (62%, 66%, 95%). Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders (56% 60% 34%) availability of pornographic material on mobile (83%, 83%, 97%), punishment not being severe (85%, 92%, 98%) Influence of media/TV/Cinema (82%, 70%, 85%) easy access to face book and net (84%, 76%, 86%). Culture of Late Night Parties (67%, 74%, 94%) are the other factors which have been tested. As we can see from the data, the personal factors of women, namely, Revealing Dresses of women and Free and informal behaviour of women have been perceived by 62% of men as leading to sexual harassment whereas 49% and 47% of women have perceived them as not as important as men. Physical inability of the women to defend themselves was perceived by 61% women and 72% of men to be a factor. A difference is visible in the perception of men and women here. This data is in line with the earlier research. Style of dress makes no difference to the level of harassment they experience has been reported in many cases (SAATHI 1994: 10). 104

Some have tried to place the blame for unwanted attention and violence from men on women, who they assert invite this attention through a “provocative style of dressing, conversing and walking”, as highlighted by (Ghosh 1993: 114). Many scholars feel that above arguments serves to shift the burden of blame away from the harasser to victim creating a culture of victim blaming. This results in continuation of the problem (Kearl, H. personal communication, August 01 2012 as well as also serve to reinforce the existing harmful cultural values and norms (Vijeyarasa, R. personal communication, August 20 2012). This is a widespread perception which, in some instances, has been shared by the police (Sherpa, M. personal communication, August 01 2012), who pinpoint the wearing of certain clothing as being responsible for the offence. While, it has been practically observed that although women wearing more revealing clothes are subject to greater levels of harassment, women wearing traditional clothing (kurtha sarwal ) are also harassed (Action Aid 2011: 51). Table 23 also shows difference in the perception of men and women regarding the dimension of sexual aggression, an independently male factor. 35% of men and 50% women have perceived Sexual aggression in men as responsible for sexual harassment of women. Some of the factors are dealing with shortcoming in police and law and order systems. Five factors, namely, prevailing lawlessness in the society and Corruption in law enforcing authorities, Unsympathetic Police, Lax and costly judicial system, Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders have been also perceived highly as leading to sexual atrocities. However punishment not being severe has been seen as the most important causative factor. 98% of sample from Noida has perceived it to be very important. Other important factors relate to impact of media, like, Availability of pornographic material on mobile, Influence of media/TV/Cinema, easy access to face book and net. Culture of Late Night Parties has also been seen as very important as perceived by 94% NOIDA respondents. Inadequate infrastructural facilities has also been seen by 73% of total respondents as being a factor in rising street sexual harassment. 2. To determine the most important factors that enhances common women’s safety in public places. Question no 28 was designed to examine the perceived factors which can improve women safety and reduce incidences of sexual harassment of women in public places. Nine dimensions picked out from literature and newspapers/media reports

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which have been commonly perceived as the factors behind the street sexual harassment of women, were used to solicit responses from the respondents. As we have seen in the Table 28 and 23 A, the tables have been prepared to reveal the responses of women, men and stakeholders as well as of the respondents from the three locations of Delhi Gurgaon and Noida together and separately too. Very strong responses (over 90%) came from the respondents towards all the factors which were tested in the questionnaire. The questions consisted of mainly three dimensions, a) one referred to infrastructural suggestions. Crowded buses/Stations should be under constant camera surveillance was the response of 96% of the total sample. Parks and public places should be well lit (93%) and well guarded (91%), frequently patrolled (90%) public toilet should be clean and guarded (90%) b) refers to law order and justice systems, namely, Legal punishments should be made harsher (94%), judicial disposals should be quicker (92%), Mahila police should get greater role in patrolling (91%), c) third dimension was about strengthening the women herself, namely women should be encouraged to carry pepper spray/ safety pins etc (94%) were the response of the total sample. Only 1% of the sample did not agree that crowded buses should have continuous camera surveillance and 2% said the women need not carry pepper spray etc. Moreover, there was not much difference in the responses of the three categories, men, women and stakeholders. All had similar views. Table 28 C, Table 28 D- These two tables also look at the same nine dimensions of perceived factors which can improve women safety and reduce incidences of sexual harassment of women in public places where the respondents have been categorised in terms of education Table 28C) and income (Table 28D). The income categories have been divided in terms of three categories.: Below one lak income, between 1 to 2 laks of income and over 3 laks of income. The table reveals that the differences are minor among the various categories of respondents. All responses are above 87%. There is very high agreement among all categories of respondents on all the dimensions. These findings are also in line with earlier research findings. The earlier research has revealed that public transport is a spot where there is huge risk of sexual harassment. The infrastructure and law and order issues have also been recommended in earlier research. Some other related questions have been asked to respondents which throw light on the perceived reasons as well as remedies for sexual harassment. Two tables, 106

namely, Table 24 and Table 25 are related to identity of offenders in terms of the age group as well as socio economic class. 86% thought that offenders were from age group of 19-25. 78% of respondents thought that the offenders belonged to 25-50 age range. 64% of respondents thought offenders were 18 years of age or even less. Only 20% perceived the perpetrators to be over fifty age group. Table 25 shows the perceived socio -economic background of the sex offenders. 72% of the respondents perceived them to be from lower socio economic background.67% and 64% of the respondents perceived the offenders to be from middle and higher socio economic strata of the society. Table 15 deals with the most frequent perceived timing for street assaults. An overwhelming 88% of total sample (88% women, 92%men, 88% stakeholders) has said that sexual assault on women can take place anytime. 41% (42% women, 36%men and 30% stakeholders) say that it takes place after dusk and 31% believe that sexual harassments take place (33%, 20%, and 18%) before dusk Table deals with the perceived places where maximum street harassment takes place. Table 20 shows the perceived locations of sexual harassment incidents. Out ten locations, bus stop has emerged as the most agreed upon location for sexual harassment incidents at 94% of total respondents choosing bus stop.. Closely followed by market places at 90%, public parks at (84%), Alcohol shops at 72%, railway station/metro station at 62%, taxi stands at 61%, deserted streets at 59%, cinema hall, construction sites at 44% each with Grameen sewa public transport at 42% of the sample as location for sexual harassments. Another question (Table 26) examines the most vulnerable categories of women who are susceptible to sexual assault. 89% of respondents perceived unprotected women as well as students to be most vulnerable for sexual assault. Closely following was the category of women working in night shift who were perceived by 87% of the sample to be vulnerable for attack. Working women category was perceived as susceptible to sexual harassment by 84% of the respondents. Alcohol Users were seen by 82% of the sample to be vulnerable for attack. The category of homeless women//girls living on streets who were perceived by 73% of the sample to be vulnerable for attack. Migrant Women not speaking local language were perceived at 68% of the total respondents to be susceptible for sexual assault. Domestic helps and Daily wage earners were perceived by 73% and 71% of the sample to be

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vulnerable for attack respectively. Differently able were perceived by 57% of the sample to be vulnerable for attack. 3. To discern women’s responses in cases of violence against them. This objective was addressed by using two questions: number 19 and question no 27. Table 27 reveals the responses to nine questions which examine the immediate response which women make to the situation of facing a sexual harassment incidence. Table 19 reveals the responses to five questions which examine the impact of harassment on women. It deals with long term changes in the women’s self image/psychological or physical health showing the coping behaviour of sexually harassed women. The question has tested five options. 86% of the total sample have agreed that sexually harassed woman would become ‘Pathologically Afraid of men‘. That women become depressed after suffering sexual harassment was responded to by 78%.The third option being stigmatized was perceived by 75% of the sample to result from sexual harassment. Scornful and revengeful was perceived by 51% and becoming handicapped was perceived by 33% of the sample as consequences of sexual harassment by women. The literature survey has also supported this finding. The fear of sexual assault in public places as well as actual facing of it can result in long term damage to a woman’s psyche and can disturb her life as already discussed in detail in first chapter. The table 27A shows high agreement on women’s response to sexual assault. Out of nine factors which have been tested among the respondents, on each factor the total agreement percentage is above 53%. By tolerating the humiliation was the response perceived to be the strategy to be use by 81%, 71 % and 84% of the respondents for Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida respectively. By avoiding reporting was the response of the respondents’ for 77%,( Delhi), (73%), Gurgaon and (82%) Noida respectively. By using self-defence techniques was the response of 63%, 61% and 49% of respondents from Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida respectively. We see a difference in the relation with neighbours between Noida and Gurgaon as only 37% from Gurgaon feel that women would take help from neighbourhood whereas 70 % respondents from Noida and 53% from Delhi say women would seek help from neighbourhood. Similarly difference between Delhi (53%) Gurgaon (46%) and Noida (30%) are visible

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on the factor of ‘by taking help from law enforcing agencies’. Noidaits seem more comfortable with neighbours and Gurgaon residents with law enforcing agencies. 70% of the respondents said that women would respond in the case of sexual assault by involving family and friends with 71% from Delhi, 61% from Gurgaon and 75% from Noida. By stopping to move out alone was received by 57% of Delhiits , 66%, of Gurgaon residents, and 72% of Noida respondents. By shouting for help was perceived by 81% (Delhi), 78% (Gurgaon), 97% (Noida) and 82%(total) as the response to sexual assault by women. By using mobile phones was perceived by 86% (Delhi) 83% from (Gurgaon) and 92 from Noida respondents. It does seem that women are perceived to be proactive in case they are facing a harassment/assault. And some difference is perceived in the preferences of respondents from Noida , Delhi and Gurgaon. 4. To find feasibilities of women’s access to Police and other governing agencies. Table 17 reveals the answer of the respondents on the question of nature of action taken against the abuser in case of sexual assault. There were four options. The option of abuser taken into custody was perceived by 65% of the total sample, Strong warning to abuser was perceived by 63%, public deals with the abuser 23%, and no action was perceived by 40% total respondents to be the action taken against the abuser. What are the barriers to reporting- was the question answered by Table 18. It reveals the reasons for not reporting the sexual crimes as perceived by various categories of respondents. Table 17 and table 18 show that there are many reasons for not reporting. Because the victims find that no action sis taken against the offender (40% in our study Table 17.) Police cannot be trusted was the response of 63 %. 51 % and 50 % of the respondents agreed that ‘no one would believe them’ and ‘it would be wastage of time and money.’ (Table18). ‘It earns bad name in the society’ was perceived by 85% of the total respondents to be the reason for not reporting. ‘Offenders may take revenge’ was the second most popular response.70 % of the total respondents believed that the victims’ families should deal with the problem. Some of the factors are dealing with shortcoming in police and law and order systems are also revealed in Table 23. Five factors, namely, prevailing lawlessness in the society and Corruption in law enforcing authorities, Unsympathetic Police, Lax and costly judicial system, Lack of commitment from Political/Religious Leaders have 109

been also perceived highly as leading to sexual atrocities. However punishment not being severe has been seen as the most important causative factor. 98% of sample from Noida has perceived it to be very important. All these figure show that women do not find it accessible to report to police or other governing agencies. Again this finding is supported by literature survey, newspaper TV reports. As data for this year shows that in Delhi, on average, six cases of sexual assault are reported everyday “Where rape is concerned the numbers cannot be an indicator of the prevalence of the crime since only a fraction of cases gets reported even in cities like Delhi. Though police have been sensitized, the level of consciousness has not changed much. There are still delays in disposing of cases due to a lack of sensitivity,” says women’s rights activist Kavita Krishnan. According to The times of India (March 30, 2015), 80 household in Delhi that experienced sexual harassment only 6 went to police and 74 remained unreported. Only one out of thirteen incidents of gender crimes reaches Police Station. In Delhi 1 in 11 cases of all criminal events involved sexual harassment. 94% of all sexual harassment incidents include staring or passing lewd comments. Incidents of touching or groping or being followed are not reported due to bureaucratic Police and lazy court system. 5. To find the level of awareness regarding laws concerning rapes and its punishments among women and men. Table 22A shows the perception of the respondents about the awareness of level of awareness regarding laws concerning rapes and its punishments among women and men. A total of 57% were aware of laws against rape. 61% had heard about Punishment against rape out of which 60%were from Delhi, 49% were from Gurgaon and 87% from Noida. The provision of Death penalty for rape was known to 37%. 31% of the respondents also knew about Punishment awarding authorities against rape. It does seem that there is perceived awareness about laws concerning rape and its punishment amongst the community. However, the crimes are on the rise. So the many reasons which stop the victims to report also encourage the perpetrators to continue unabated. One logical explanation does seem the perception that punishments are not adequate. Literature is replete with data showing the cases not coming to a conclusion. The police are unable to perform well and similar host of reasons which facilitate as well as create barrier to bringing the culprits to book. 6. Awareness about the Legal provisions and govt schemes:

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Table 21 shows the respondents’ awareness about Programmes Implemented by NGOs and Govt. agencies in their locality for women. 71% of the total respondents knew about Empowerment of Women programmes being held in the locality. Self - defence Training were known to 61% of respondents. Spreading awareness of laws was perceived by 47% of the respondents to be going on in their locality. Free Legal Help to Women was perceived by 34%of the sample. Creating forum for women’s grievances was known to 26% of the total sample. Popularising Gender Schemes by Police/Government was seen by30% of the sample as being done in their localities. Creating awareness of gender equality was also seen by 42% of the total sample to be going on in their areas. Table 22 shows the perception of the respondents about the awareness of the Government Schemes. A total of 97% respondents were aware of Emergency helpline No. 100. 89% had heard about women helpline 1091, 62% knew about women commission, laws against harassment/assault of women were known to 37%, and 30% of the respondents knew about punishment for different offenses, 25% were aware of Anti-stalking service for women, 38% were aware of Exclusive Help Desk for Women at Police Stations, Thana level Women Safety Committee was known to 35% of the sample and 50% of the total respondents knew of Self- defence Training Program for Women. It does seem that gender sensitive activities in communities, particularly low income group persons, for improving gender sensitive relationship are going on in many communities and moreover people are aware of them.

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CHAPTER 6

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest an urgent need for immediate actions for the societies and government to curb harassment and violence against women.  Awareness about the women’s low safety, sexual harassment as well as the laws, Acts is high among the community. However, the harassment is continuing. Findings have suggested that the system of reporting and punishments are not in place.

 Trivialization of sexual harassment in public - space is high among the general community, victims, and even law enforcing machinery.  Impact of the laws in protecting women from street Violence is negligible.  Practice of street violence against women and girls is rampant in most of the NCR.  Street violence has negative consequences for the victim and her family.  Women themselves are not aware of laws and empowered to act.  Certain areas in NCR are very susceptible to sexual harassment at public places.  A large number of atrocities are committed from population in the rural areas of NCR, specially the youth who are old or original residents. Victims come from migrant communities in many areas. Perpetrators are men with individual temperament for sexual harassment in communities where the norms are tolerant, ambiguous, or even supportive of such behaviour.

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CHAPTER 7

RECOMMENDATIONS

The action has to be multipronged. Firstly preventive measures have to be strong. Creating awareness in community about the role of bystander while witnessing women being sexually harassed in the public spaces, strengthening the women by improving their confidence level and self defence skills, well lit public spaces, well patrolled public transport, trained transport personnel, use of CCTV cameras, use of Mahila patrol will go a long way in preventing the incidences. Sensitizing the police, using Mahila police, streamlining complaint mechanism, keeping the identity of complainant confidential, lodging complaint quickly and taking quick actions are needed. Strategies for different aspects of the society. For Government/ public-awareness  Women’s safety needs must be acknowledged and identified as important objectives within the planning and management of public areas. This must involve the participation of women alongside other relevant stakeholders  Implementation of public-awareness efforts. This should include public- service messages and the display of “zero tolerance on sexual harassment” signs at highly visible areas such as bus stops, buses and roadsides.  Any problem with women’s safety in public spaces and women’s human rights should be immediately addressed.  State should have massive awareness campaigns to educate the masses about negative consequences of sexual harassment at public places.  Political and religious leaders should condemn any sexual violence against women.  Homeless women should be given priority for employment or education /training.  To make cities safe for women and girls, the government and NGOs need to work with local communities to understand and claim their rights to

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access and enjoy all that cities have to offer and to change their cities for the better.  Governments should fund essential public services (street lighting, safe public transportation and safe housing) to reduce violence against women  Governments should implement public policies on service provision and to ensure that all service providers receive the necessary training to prevent, identify and report harassment and violence against women  Government should support Public Spaces Mentoring Programs in communities. Any project idea to address gender-based street harassment in a community can be selected and provided in-depth mentoring for some time.  Men and boys must be part of the solution. Information should be made available regarding how boys /men can work and can volunteer. There should be tips and information for bystander.  State supported shelter homes, Nari Niketans, remand houses, juvenile delinquent homes, and shelters for differently-abled children and orphans should have schedule of regular and transparent inspection by independent body.  Working women’s hostels for SC/ST/Minority/Differently-abled girls should be provided special protection.  Easy availability of Helpline and support system to be widely advertised on radio, TV and Newspapers

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For Judiciary  Gender sensitization for the judiciary and police’ is also important. It is also important to include men in the sensitizing and other programmes.  A specific court may dedicate a particular day in week or fortnight to take up pending cases.  Procedure of investigation should not be lengthy and disposal of cases should be speedy to strengthen victims’ faith in the system.  Suitable amendments in law and its procedure for police and judicial accountability needs to be done.  More women judges should be appointed Rehabilitation and treatment of victims  Treatment and rehabilitation of victims and survivors of severely affected/rape incidences as well as counselling, mental health treatment should be available. For Police  Victims fear to lodge complaints as/because if complaints are lodged the perpetrators’ friends start chasing and harassing. Even 1091 that register complaints make women frightened by saying that their identity shall be disclosed. Victims should be encouraged to complain and, as a matter of demonstration, special hearing for such cases be instituted and punishments be awarded forthwith.

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 On-line complaints should be instantaneously responded to but the name of complainant should not be disclosed.

For Public transport system  There is a need for basic data and case study material on how women make use of the transport system, the differential impacts of transport on women, and what opportunities are denied to them when the system cannot meet their needs.  Recruiting more female bus conductors, drivers, and police should be done.  Strict implementation of women’s compartments in Metro/ Intercity trains and dedicated seats in all public transports to be made available by operating staff.  Special orientation programmes for bus staff on their responsibility and duty towards women and girls as well as punishment in case of failing to do its rightful discharge ought to be imparted.

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 They need to go beyond discriminatory values of playing a submissive and dependent role and have a positive self identity, be independent in their self concepts and psychological capacities.  Women should know the law too, specially their legal rights.  Women should organise and demand their rights on issues related to their safety and go above the traditional culture which trivializes and allows sexual harassment to continue and victims to be blamed.  For becoming stronger in terms of physical and learning self - defence techniques, self-defence training should regularly be given to girls so that to enhance their confidence and ability to protect themselves. For Media  Print media should be socially responsible. The reporting of sexual crimes and episodes should be factual and not sensational.  The film media should also be socially responsible and not sensationalize and should document illustrations of women’s experiences and the impacts upon their lives caused by sexual harassment.

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Appendix  Study conducted by UN Women found (2012) that 92% of women experienced some form of sexual harassment in Delhi. And around round 120 million girls worldwide have experienced forced sex. Less than 40% of victims seek help.  Ministry of Women and child development, Govt. of India, opted for the study because 125 countries have passed laws on sexual harassment – but with poor implementation. Since 1995 more than hundred countries have conducted, at least, one survey addressing this issue. Out of the above 44 countries have done these surveys between 1995 and 2004. 89 countries did it between 2005 and 2014. More than 40 countries have got such surveys twice. As published in The times of India on march 30, 2015 ( Page 4).  Commonwealth Human Rights Initiatives (CHRI): Fear of retaliation deters women from going to police in case of crime against them. Only one out of thirteen incidents of gender crimes reaches Police Station. In Delhi 1 in 11 cases of all criminal events involved sexual harassment. Staring or passing lewd comments – 94% of all sexual harassment incidents. Incidents of touching or groping or being followed are not reported due to bureaucratic Police and lazy court system. 80 household in Delhi that experienced sexual harassment only 6 went to police and 74 remained unreported. Why people do not go to Police for help?  Fear of retaliation 8%  Lack of evidence 33%  Did not know where to report 5%  Did’nt think cops to entertain complaint 15%  Did not know helpline number 02%  Did not expect Police to act 15%  Due to Family matters 04%  Did not want to get stuck with Police/ Courts 48%  Scared to go to Police station 02%  Personal Comment:

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Capital’s Dark Corner: Rape’s Ground Zero- Case of Aman Vihar,- An area in the capital’s northwest has emerged as the Ground Zero of sexual assault – the highest number of reported cases in absolute terms from any police station in the city this year. In 2012, when the ‘Nirbhaya’ rape spurred amendments in sexual assault law, Aman Vihar recorded just eight cases of rape. The number dramatically rose each year pushing it to the first place among all police stations and, except for a dip last year, the trend has remained the same. This year, Aman Vihar has already recorded 60 rape cases – more than one per week. Mehrauli at No 2 recorded 48 cases. In 60 per cent of cases the victims are minor. 87 per cent of victims of sexual assault are below the poverty level. 88 per cent of accused have studied up to Class 10, 10 per cent are illiterate and 2 per cent graduates. 45 per cent of illicit liquor consumption, 34 cases of gambling and 12 cases of drug use has been registered this year in Aman Vihar. This police station has 155 personnel against a sanctioned strength of 210, which means one policeman for almost 6,500 people. Along with many other factors, sociology and geography of the area are very distinctive factors: “People migrate from different parts of the country and settle down in Aman Vihar. They do not have permanent addresses. Their identities remain a mystery. The area has also seen a rise in land disputes, as there are 108 unauthorised colonies.’ The same persons who commit a petty theft can be involved in sexual assault cases. Also job losses result in drug addiction and gambling’, says a police officer. The rise in cases of rape should not be looked in isolation. Rise in other types of crime should also be looked in this context to understand the place like Aman Vihar. The local MLA says that 955 of the population are migrants and the literacy rate is abysmal at 50 per cent against city’s 86 per cent. Most of the young men are unemployed so they indulge in petty crimes like betting, and consuming liquor in public places. A report from The Indian Express dated December 16, 2016 (page 2). According to Delhi Police data, just 29.4% of the cases ended in conviction in 2015. For this abysmal rate the Police explain that the amendments to law after the December 16 gang rape did result in a significant rise in the number of cases reported , but when each case takes up to five years on average

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to be decided, only over time can statistics truly reflect the actual conviction status.4 Year Data :- Year RAPE MOLESTATION OUTRAGING MODESTY 2012 706 727 208 2013 1636 3515 916 2014 2166 4322 1361 2015 2199 5367 1492  1,981 RAPE CASES REGISTERED TILL NOVEMBER 30 THIS YEAR. The Times of India dated 17 December, 2016 (Page 2) The Delhi Govt. Plan for making Delhi a safe city The Delhi government has drawn up an extensive plan to cover roads and public spaces across the capital with CCTVs, streetlights and Wifi facilities. According to government officials, a committee has been constituted to finalise the specifications of “wireless standalone cameras within-built recording and network facility. “Delhi has a total of 30,000 km of roads of which only 1260 km comes under the Public Works Department. Covering PWD roads with these features shall be undertaken comprehensively along with the governments ‘digitization programme. CCTV, Wi-Fi and Streetlights shall be dovetailed with fibre network for smart features. E-collection of tolls is also under active consideration. Covering PWD roads by CCTV has to be comprehensive and cannot be taken up in isolation “said a senior official. The department has been asked to identify “vulnerable” areas, such as colonies and markets, and places that see high footfall, like temples, where CCTV cameras can be set up, said the official. These areas are frequented by women, and there is a dire need to install CCTVs her on a priority basis to ensure their safety. The urban development department has sanctioned Rs. 200 crore for this fiscal to be utilized by the PWD for the work”. As soon as the specifications are finalized the chief project manager shall ensure submission of the preliminary estimate and issue order. Officials added that the urban development department shall work out modalities for installation and maintenance of CCTVs by RWAs and market associations. The government has also ruled that CCTVs will not be covered under the MLA local area development fund.

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